Tyson to a Different Tune
by Feelin Glayish
Summary: Ever since he was a little kid, Tyson wanted to ROCK. Now all he needs is a band. TyKa/AU/9Parts
1. The Last Great Place

**Tyson to a Different Tune**

**Track 1  
**The Last Great Place

* * *

"Big bro! Big bro! Come quick!" A little boy yelled excitedly.

The brother pretended he didn't hear anything so that he could savor his ice cream cone in peace for a few more moments. Mmm, chocolate.

"Hiiiiro!!" The tiny voice his little brother had could really get loud sometimes. Hiro sighed, then smiled, and quick-stepped his way over to where Tyson was getting himself into a little fit.

The music shop was right next to a hobby store that lots of other little kids were hording around. Apparently some new toy had come out that had the town's tiny generation in excited chaos. Baybits, Bitblades, or something, they were called. Hiro didn't pay toys as much attention these days, if they didn't involve his brother. He was much too old, and cool.

"Hiro!" Tyson sounded reprimanding and to complete his mood, stamped his foot a few times. "LOOK!" He pointed and pointed and pointed.

The teenage Granger brother did look and bit into his cone uninterestedly. "What Tyson? It's just a guitar."

His little eyes shone at the instrument, his nose almost touching the glass. It was an electric guitar in white and blue, shining in the little display next to a saxophone and a keyboard.

Hiro did a double-take. "Wha.. no. Tyson, you can't get it."

"WHY!" He cried.

"Because!" Hiro rolled his eyes, why did he have to be the cool, older, generally more awesome one? "Those are really expensive. And you have to actually practice to not suck. You'll waste it!"

"NO I WON'T!" Tyson continued angrily.

"Yes you will. You're only six, you're gonna grow tired of it and in two weeks move onto something else." He was speaking from experience, of course.

"NO." That frown was so annoying, Hiro frowned back. "And I won't suck! I'll be the bestest guitarer ever!"

The older boy laughed. "Yeah, right. Why don't you get a bitblade thingie. Your kind seems to love them." He pointed to where some of the neighbours' kids were happily putting together their little plastic thingamajiggers.

"I don't want a Beyblade! I want a guitar!"

"Whatever." He popped the last bit of cone into his mouth and crumbled up the empty napkin, stuffing it into his pocket. "You finished your cone, so let's go back now."

Tyson looked longingly at the window display. "But….I don-"

Hiro signed in frustration and crossed his arms. Once Tyson got it into his head he wanted something, there was usually no end to his screaming and crying sessions. "If I give you my hat, will you forget about the guitar?"

"Wha-Really?!" The little boy's eyes lit up, guitar momentarily forgotten. That was his brother's lucky hat, and he was going to give it to him?

"Yeah sure." Hiro took it off and slapped it onto his kid brother's head with a grin. "Let's go, gramps is waiting."

"Okay!" Tyson sang happily, playing with the wide lip of the hat. It was still way too big for him. Hiro rolled his eyes. Baseball caps were uncool now, and he was way too old to wear it. It was a fair trade.

A week later though, Tyson Granger got the guitar.

* * *

**10 years later****…**

"Max!" The teacher said loudly.

The drum beats rattled on in no particular rhythm.

"MAX!" She tried again.

Cymbals started to crash at odd intervals, sounding more like someone was driving a truck over the drum set and then backing up to drive over it once more.

"MAX TATE!!" She screamed, and the whole class' warm up went silent. Someone playing the clarinet hit a high screechy note by not giving enough wind.

The blond in question stopped his freestyle drumming sheepishly, looking around for his music teacher. Ms. Treble, a middle aged woman with far too much gray hair for her own good popped out of thin air next to his snare drum. Max jumped and dropped his sticks.

"Young man, what do you think you are doing!" Her tone was definitely sharp, B sharp maybe. Max smiled in embarrassment.

"Sorry I was just warming up, Ms. Treble."

She tapped her conductor's baton on the bridge of her glasses, looking very harassed. Listening to high schoolers play their instruments at 7AM though, who wouldn't be high strung?

"You will do the normal warm up practice, Mr. Tate."

"Uh.. okay… but," He looked around aimlessly for help. His friend Hilary was giving him the evil eye, she liked following the rules a bit too much.

"But what?" Ms. Treble's forehead seemed to be pulsing, and she tapped her baton against the spot until it stopped. It was only the first day of school, how she'd taught for fifteen years at Bay High was anyone's guess.

"It's so boring! I like to be a bit more creative when I warm up!" Max replied with a smile. Somehow his drumsticks had found their way back into his hands and he twirled one aimlessly. The movement agitated the teacher and she sighed.

"The regular warm up, if you please, Mr. Tate. As percussion you are helping to lead the rest of the students through their practice by keeping them on time. Remember, we must always be on time!" The last part rang out clearly to the whole class. It was her phrase, her hook. For those same fifteen years the students at Bay High were sick of it.

"Oh…" He deflated. "Okay then." Max couldn't argue with that. On the flute end, Hilary looked slightly pleased.

They practiced on diligently until the bell rang, signaling an hour had passed and it was time to pack up before classes started at 8:30AM.

* * *

"Man, just once. Just once I wish I could let loose!"

Max Tate griped and as if to exemplify this, he drummed in the air a rather complicated looking beat.

"Well, what do you expect?" Hilary retorted, her hands on her hips. "It's a high school band. We play marches, medleys, the occasional anthem… You'd better join a rock band or something!"

The blond raised his eyebrows and smiled in disbelief. No way something like that would happen to their quaint little school.

They walked through the foyer, passing more early-birds skittering around the main locker area. The resident bullies were already congregated around the tree in the corner. No one really knew why the designers decided their main floor needed a tree inside the building, but it was there.

Max had figured it was so that it could balance out the fact that all the smokers loved to stand by it when they asked for bathroom breaks during class. Of course, it never lasted long when their school had hall monitors and an evil guidance counselor who prowled the school like a panther and forced them back to their classrooms.

"Hilary! Could I see you for a moment?" A sensibly dressed woman with a kind smile flagged them down as they passed her classroom.

"Oh, I'm right about to go do announcements Mrs. Staccato." She apologized.

"He's in the office too, it won't take long!" The teacher promised.

The brunette and blonde sent each other a look at the word 'he'. Max shrugged and waved. "Catch ya later."

"Yeah, see you." Hilary said with a little frown and jogged after the English teacher.

* * *

Wow, that was the nerdiest looking kid Tyson had _ever_ seen!

He was hanging around in the main office, which was on the 2nd level of the building. He'd just gotten registered for classes by the principal herself, Mrs. Flat! This was probably because he was new and not in grade nine. Grade eleven, thank you very much. Tyson was sixteen years old, going on seventeen on the 23rd of November actually. He was looking forward to making new friends and having a huge party. He rocked back and forth on his heels, hands stuffed in his red jacket pocket. Thank goodness this school didn't have uniforms; he'd had enough of those for his lifetime.

Mostly elderly women seemed to be working in the office, answering phones, photocopying, talking to teachers… He supposed he should go to his class now, but damned if he knew where anything was and everyone looked so busy. However, there was this little desk with a microphone where another student was sitting shuffling through some pages. This kid was like barely five feet tall, was wearing suspenders, shorts, shoes that looked suspiciously orthopedic, and the thickest glasses in the world. Man… Tyson tried to stop staring but he failed miserably because the kid noticed.

"Can I help you?"

He even sounded nerdy! Tyson was in love at once. His very own little geek pal, he grinned in delight. "Yeah, I'm looking for this class." He showed the kid his schedule.

* * *

"_Welcome back to Bay High__ School for a brand-spanking new school year! We hope you're awake because your first class starts in five minutes…"_

The announcements rolled on and Max jogged up the staircase to where his first class, grade 11 Biology, was. There were a few other students milling about in front of the classroom. His class schedule was, as usual, pretty much exactly like Hilary Tachibana's - His good friend from the school band, and captain of the debate team.

They didn't share the love of a good argument, but mostly everything else between them _was_ shared. Max himself led a rather simple high school life, and his main concern was when his lunchtime occurred and saving a good seat.

A teacher came and unlocked the doors so everyone could file in. When the teacher followed them inside terror instantly spiked in Max's blue eyes. Oh god, not Mr. Tenor! Max felt dread well up inside him as he rushed to the back to procure a good table. He thought Mrs. Crescendo wasn't retiring until next year!

Around him, he could see other uneasy looks. A girl was already crying into her mass of textbooks. Tenor was notorious for his hundred multiple choice question tests and non-bell curving ways. His blond head hit the desk unceremoniously. What a way to start the day…

"This is Biology at the university prep level, if you aren't in this class please leave now." Tenor had an unpredictably high and screechy voice that resembled a rat. His pointy nose drove that image home.

"Now, my name is Mr. Tenor," he said it like it was something they should be copying down for a test with a characteristic self-important pause.

"Please, can I have two volunteers up here to pass out the textbooks?" He unceremoniously pushed the cart of the High Schooler's Heavy Burden in front of a pair of sullen looking boys.

"Thank you. I will do roll call and then we will open our minds and open our books to page…"

He droned on, and Max was wondering where Hilary was. She usually wasn't so late after making the announcements, though all the staff gave her a little pardon because of it. As luck would have it there a soft knock on the classroom door.

"Come in." Tenor looked annoyed at having to stop his spiel.

Hilary shuffled in and Max was surprised to see another boy walk in after her. He left the door wide open, carelessly chewing a piece of gum. Tenor looked displeased.

"Yes?" He waved Hilary to her seat. She'd had many classes with him before. "Name?" He asked the offensive teen.

"Uh, Tyson Granger, I'm new." That sent the class muttering a bit amongst themselves, at least those who were awake enough.

Tenor's large brown eyes scanned down his attendance sheet over his long nose. "Alright, take a seat."

"Cool." Tyson agreed and spun on his heel to find a clear space.

"Mr. Granger, might I tell you that at Bay High there are neither hats nor gum permitted in the classrooms?" It didn't sound like a suggestion, and Tyson looked almost amused.

"Oh, sure, I'm sorry!" His grin was charming, at least.

Hilary waved him to sit by her and Max so he darted off in that direction, pulling his hat from his head and letting his bangs fall into his eyes.

Max mouthed a 'hi' to the new kid, and received a smile in return.

Tenor spoke at an even faster pace having been interrupted and no one got a change to do much of anything but read and take notes before the period was over.

* * *

"So this is the 'he'." Max said. They filed out of the classroom, and filed really meant more along the lines of sprinting when the Tenor was involved.

Tyson was behind the blond and brunette duo on the staircase chewing a new piece of gum.

"Yup, I had to show him his locker and some other important things." Hilary replied. "Tyson, meet my best friend Max."

"Yo," Tyson said, almost distracted as his deep blue eyes followed the surroundings. His destination was the locker area closest to the tree so he could put the Heavy Burden of his Biology textbook away.

The new kid caught a glimpse of the whole floor, Bay High at its finest. Whoever had planned the school must've really liked the open concept, because the major staircase was open and as you walked down you could see the vast array of lockers, like isles in a supermarket all lined up in two quadrants of the whole main floor. The rest was made up of the cafeteria, rows of long tables with lots and lots of grey plastic chairs stacked to the wall waiting for someone to take.

The main level was crowded with what seemed like the whole student body now that school had officially started and first period was over. What had been nearly empty before was a buzz with excitement as old friends caught up and tiny new niners milled around like nervous lost bees in search of a flower in the city.

People were already sitting and eating since the kitchen opened early to provide breakfast too. Tyson grinned at the thought of buying junk food right before his next class. He definitely couldn't have done that at his old school! He listened idly to Max and Hilary chat as he continued to take in the sights.

"Tyson, Max's locker is really close to yours. I'm off to mine!"

Hilary interrupted his thoughts and Tyson blinked as if waking up from a dream. The two friends were giving him weird looks before he answered, "Uh, okay…"

Hilary nodded and the busy girl made a bee-line for another row of lockers off to the other end of the foyer.

He kinda wanted to zone out again, and think about the plans for being here in this public school; why he came back to Bay City anyway, when his old school had been just fine. Sure, he was old enough now not to be a struggle to take care of by his Gramps, which was the more obvious place to choose. Before that though, the boarding school closest to his only grounded relative had been three large cities west from here, a boring place where there wasn't any focus other than taking notes instead of playing them. And he had met no one else who wanted to do what he wanted…

"So you have Alto next period too? That's the same math class as Hil and me, we have him every year and he's cool. He loves math a bit too much though, we think the next big equation to be discovered is gonna be Him x Math equals true loooove." Max chuckled at his own joke and looked at Tyson expectantly.

Tyson snapped out of it. "That's… nice." He said and couldn't help thinking everyone here was a little geeky. Not in the one-upping better-than-you way like at his old school, but in the strange homely sense.

Realizing he was already in front of his locker, he hastily entered his combination. He took out his calculator and tossed the Big Bad Biology Book of Burden in like the heavy paperweight made of out of paper it was. They immediately hastened to go up the main stairs to the second floor where the romantic Alto surely waited.

"Mr. Tenor didn't seem that bad either." He said once they were walking down the hallway. He didn't really know any other teachers to gossip about.

"Are you kidding!? Don't get sucked into that illusion." Max spun his drumstick aimlessly as he chatted. "Tenor's bad, real bad. His tests are like—"

"You play?" Tyson asked eagerly, excited at the sudden arrival of drumsticks.

"Sure do." Max said, and looked pleased.

Tyson grinned. There was enthusiasm sparking in his eyes. "I play guitar, and not just air guitar either!" He laughed and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "Actually, I wanna get together a **band**—"

"Sweets to the sweet!!" Came a shrill and lovesick cry. It was followed by girlish titters.

Tyson and Max jumped and witnessed a small nerdy boy dressed in vaguely Shakespeare-looking robes and trying to force a bouquet of daisies onto a very hot girl with blue hair and a bit too much eye make-up. Her friends laughed behind their hands at what looked likely to be another failed attempt. It was the nerdy boy from the office!

"That's the Chief." Max said absentmindedly. Tyson gave him a questioning look and the blond shrugged. "I don't remember his whole name, everyone calls him that 'cause he's practically the smartest kid in school."

"Geeze, why don't you just call him Genius then?" Privately, Tyson thought anyone that smart needed to get some new pick up lines.

Max laughed. "Because he's a drill sergeant if you ever have to work with him! He'll force you to write lines if you make him get anything less than 100 percent!" He shook his head with a cheerful smile. "He's crazy!"

"He is not," Hilary exclaimed, popping out from no where. "Kenny's just super busy and gets way too high strung for his own good. Needs to take a vaca, that one."

Tyson looked between the two with a confused expression.

Hilary threw her hands up in the air in a 'why me' pose and huffed. "He's in a lot of clubs, and he helps me do the morning announcements. Don't you people listen?"

"OH, yeah." Max said immediately, and quite obviously faking out.

Tyson shrugged and leaned back against the wall right by the classroom, his books held lazily at his side. "Don't see what's so special about being in all those clubs."

The brunette blinked like she'd never entertained the idea and the notion truly baffled her.

"You mentioned a band though." Max said. He smiled and tapped Hilary on the hip with his drumstick. "He plays guitar, Hil!"

"Really!" She said and rounded on him eagerly. "Well the school band is a club. You'll be in a least one!" She seemed pleased with the idea at sorting out his extracurricular-estrangement so soon.

"You'll join the band, won't you? We could use a guitarist." Max encouraged, excited at the idea. "We haven't had one since—" He paused then re-evaluated his words. "Well, we've been guitar-less for ages!"

Tyson crooked his eyebrows in a way that said 'You joking?' The school band wasn't what he'd meant at all!

"C'mon! It's only one club. We don't even take up evenings!"

"When do you practice?" He sensed something was off.

"Seven in the morning—"

Tyson let out a loud laugh and said with great finality, "NO thanks."

The two locals gave each other one of their all knowing looks but before Tyson could pry the bell rang and it was time to file into second period.

* * *

The day was going pretty well so far, Tyson beamed. He ran his hand across the vertical bars of the railing as he dashed down the stairs. His new friends Max and Hilary, though a bit hung up on school clubs, were great and he was glad they had classes together. He had visual arts after math, which neither of the blond and brunet took, then English, which they were both miraculously in, and then he had gym.

Gym alternated between actual gym time and class time. Apparently the class was so big that they were split into girls and boys for gym time and then split randomly in half for the classes. Today had been a class day where they broke open the normal sexual education textbooks and Tyson had been hilariously happy when Kenny, who was in his class half, nearly had an aneurism.

Of course, a whole bunch of other girls and boys were snickering at each other or looking queasy. Tyson found it kind of strange that they'd only decided to start the sex ed in grade 11, but then he realized it was a mixed grade class, recognizing some niners because they'd been initiated, black nines in magic marker written on their faces. Tyson remembered that initiation for him at his old school hadn't been nearly so kind. He'd had to replace all the strings on his guitar after that one! Maybe it was safe to bring it to this school after all.

He hoped they'd have the same teacher for gym half as class half he thought distractedly. Ms. Sharp had the perfect amount of humor as she drew diagrams on the chalkboard using various sports balls.

The class finished up uneventfully, and he threw all his books into his locker. Max appeared beside him, looking harassed.

"S'up?" Tyson asked cautiously.

The blond shook his head. "We've got Coach Clef on our half." Looked like Max was taking gym too. "And Kai's in that class. It's a nightmare!" He shuddered and took out his knapsack and starting loading books in.

Tyson watched him pile the crazy amount of books in with an apprehensive expression. "I hope we get Ms. Sharp for gym half," He said.

Max laughed a little hysterically. "Yeah right, we're guys. That means we get the male teacher. The girls are so lucky," He sighed wistfully. "Ms. Sharp's the best."

Tyson wondered if all the guys felt the same.

Just then, Max seized up and a tall guy with blue face paint walked by their lockers to the vending machine that was just down the hall.

Tyson held in a snicker, and Max looked at him warningly.

"What type of guy wears make up?" He laughed and Max covered his mouth with a hand.

A couple of seedy looking kids followed pass their lockers and gave them weird looks, probably because Max was GROPING him, and then started chatting with the tall guy. He had two different colours of hair. Dye job gone wrong, Tyson concluded.

Max pulled him down and they shoved the rest of his books into his bag. Tyson chanced a glance over the blonde's shoulder and the guy was no where in sight.

Tyson immediately caught Max in a headlock. "Alright!" He said cheerfully. "What was that?!"

Max sputtered to explain. "Everyday after class, Kai goes and beats the hell out of that vending machine for a candy bar then goes home to probably kill small animals or something."

"Huh?" Tyson replied brilliantly.

Hilary chose this moment to walk up and give them a queer look. "Why are you two on the floor?"

"I've got Kai in class half with CLEF." He groaned and Hilary shuddered in sympathy. She took History, instead of Gym, with Mr. Triad who liked to cram in as many analogies as he could in one hour.

Tyson got up and dusted his jean knees off. "What's the deal? He didn't seem that bad."

Hilary raised an eyebrow. "That's what Coach Clef said, and NOW look at them."

Max waved a hand in dismissal and they filed out of the side entrance. Tyson went to go unlock his bike.

"He's a mysterious student, but notoriously bad." Max explained without really explaining.

"The Hiwatari Mystery," Hilary nodded sagely. "That's what they call him."

Tyson got fed up. "But no one knows why? He and the Coach don't like each other, that's it?"

Max was a bit alarmed by Tyson's insight and didn't pull punches. "No. Tyson, he's bad news. He once beat up Andrew Jeffery and got suspended. The weird thing is, no one knows why! Andy didn't wanna mention it when asked."

The brunette girl nodded sagely. "Some say that Kai threatened him to never speak about it or he'd 'finish the job'." She made a throat slitting action and a choking sound that sounded more like a hungry seagull erupted from her mouth. "Not to mention he's got himself a little gang too."

Tyson pursed his lips in thought, and then rolled his eyes. "That Andrew kid was probably making eyes at Kai's girlfriend or something."

"Nuh uh," Hilary shook her head. "I know on good authority. Kai's never dated, at least no girl from Bay High."

Tyson snickered. "What about guys?"

Max and Hilary looked at each other, dumbfounded. At their expressions, Tyson gave them an incredulous look. "Oh come on, you mean you've never caught anyone doing that sort of thing?"

The blonde's vacant stare and the girl's scandalized face said it all.

"Wow, Bay City really is 'the last great place.'" Tyson grinned thoughtfully, quoting his grandfather's description. Happy to educate he leaned in and held his hand up like he was about to spill a big secret. "Any guy who looks that good in a tank top is either gay or in denial. You might want to look into that." He laughed loudly, spoiling the effect.

The two locals just gave each other worried glances as Tyson slung his backpack over his shoulder and unchained his bike from the rack.

"Thanks for the lowdown," Tyson smiled and straddled his bike. He pushed off and the friends all waved at each other. "See ya tomorrow!"

When Tyson was out of sight, Hilary turned to Max and asked, "Do you think he was just making fun?"

Max shrugged in reply, "I'll say now though, he's different! Turns out this year definitely won't be boring after all."

"It wasn't going to be boring!!" Hilary exclaimed in high offence.

"Well, uhhh…." He'd asked for that one, and as Max fought for a way to placate the fiery brunette, the sun began to set very slowly on the first day of school.

* * *

End Track

**Author Notes:** Alright, so what we have here is an Alternate universe in which Tyson isn't a champion Beyblader (!!) but a cocky teen who's been striving to put together the perfect band. This IS a Tyson x Kai fic, so expect that to be a major part of it!

**Disclaimer:** Beyblade and all its likeness does not belong to me.


	2. King's Court

**Tyson to a Different Tune**

**Track 2  
**King's Court

* * *

The little creek seemed to slow time with its peaceful atmosphere. The quiet trickle of the water into the drain, the distant sound of traffic, the breeze… Maybe this was what his Gramps had been talking about. It was really… great.

He could sit here for hours just thinking up lyrics and all the notes to go with them as the sun rose and set.

Of course, such a nice place wouldn't go undisturbed. Tyson grunted in annoyance as a shadow fell over him. His gramps smirked down.

"What are you doing here? School starts soon you know."

"I'm going, I'm going!" Tyson relented and sat up.

He rode his bike slowly, taking in the sights of his youth. He kind of wished he'd gotten to grow up here instead of at the boarding school, but both his dad and Hiro were out of the country and his mom had died and…

Tyson watched a family cross the road, looking both ways before they did. Somewhere in the back of his head he knew that being a rock star was just as ungrounded as being an archeologist, and that he wished he could be more like his gramps and mom, but he didn't ever stop to think about it.

When he pulled into the school grounds it was already alive with activity and he spotted the Chief on the top of a ladder with another boy holding the bottom. They were trying to take down the large Welcome Back banner.

The Hiwatari Mystery and his lackeys were entering the foyer and the kid holding the ladder got so jittery that Kenny started screaming, "ANDREW!!"

Tyson locked his bike up and went inside.

* * *

It was in Mrs. Staccato's English class that Tyson managed to get his first band break.

Hilary was writing something furiously in a journal, sitting at a desk directly in front of the teacher's desk. Tyson wisely stayed in the back and when Max came into the room he seemed happy that there was someone he could sit in the nosebleed section with.

Mrs. Staccato was so Nice n' Easy, kind of like her very, very bleached blond hair. She made Tenor's class seem like a jail for the stupidly smart kids who thought Biology would be fun. Ha! Alto also loved to hear the sound of his own voice too much and snapped at whoever tried to talk. They could never chance it in those classes, but English was a breeze.

The drummer's best friend turned and she gave him an evil eye before going back to burning lead against lined paper.

Max smiled sheepishly as he slid into the desk next to Tyson. "We had a fight about you this morning you know."

Tyson blanched. "Er…" he put eloquently. "I'm not into her."

The blonde blushed and his pencil flew out of his hand. "T-That's!" He grabbed up the offending writing tool. "That's, not what I meant."

Tyson became even more alarmed. "I'm not into you either." He defended quickly.

Max dropped his pencil AND textbook this time and looked at Tyson with an expression that seemed like he was caught between pressing sexual harassment charges and laughing.

"It was NOT that type of fight." He let out in a strangled voice. It was too early for such life-altering conversations. "Sorry to offend your ego." Max finished with an amused smile.

"Okay," Tyson replied uncertainly. He sank into his seat. It was always a good idea to cover those bases with new friends, as he'd learnt from his old school. Misunderstandings in an all-boy's environment were… well, Tyson blocked that out.

"See, the problem with Hilary is that she follows the rules too much." Max said, breaking Tyson out of his daydream.

The teacher started introducing a new book and sent the cart out for the class to get their copies. It was like throwing hay to cattle, they all came at once.

Hilary bumped shoulders purposely with Max as she reached for hers and then pointedly huffed, turning up her nose when the blonde elbowed her.

"Do you know what I had to do in band today? Do you?!" Max asked with despair. They plunked back into their seats and opened the new books.

"I dunno," Tyson grinned. He liked to dog-ear his pages, and the blonde was looking at him disapprovingly. "Play music maybe?"

"One, Rest, Three, Four." Max carried on, tapping his pencil on his book like a drum. "All on the snare, all for an hour, nothing BUT. It was pretty much torture."

Tyson could sympathize; he'd had to do that monotonous work when he was forced to play bass for some school presentations back in the day.

"So I thought about it," Max relented and looked Tyson in the eye. Blue to blue, it was cool. "I want to join your band."

An explosion of happiness went off in his chest. "Really?" His words rushed out in excitement.

Max nodded and Tyson jumped up out of his seat in glee. "ALRIGHT!"

Mrs. Staccato and the rest of the class turned around and stared in shock. Only Hilary seemed unsurprised and remained stonily facing forward.

"Well, Hemingway IS exciting stuff," Staccato justified happily. Her voice was smooth and indulgent. Tyson had the decency to apologize.

* * *

"I just want a group of us, four, maybe five, to play some songs I wrote. Y'know, make friends, make music." The two walked through the aisles of the library for the last half of their English period since they had to check out more stuff by Hemingway for homework.

Tyson's fingers skimmed among H-titles rather than H-authors and Max had to drag him into the right section.

The new kid grinned thinking about he and Max rounding up another guitarist and then his face fell. "If we don't have a set goal concert then nothing will get done!"

People liked big things to happen fast and who could blame them? Tyson had been clawing madly for a chance to do the same.

A light bulb went off over Max's head. "Ahhhh, then you want the Winter Assembly!"

Tyson could pretty much hear the importance of the name and perked up.

"C'mon." Max said in an all-knowing tone, and they trekked through the library where Tyson spied the Chief re-shelving books.

Geeze, when did that kid ever find the time to go to class with all those other odd jobs and clubs?

"We've got a live one on the WA." The blonde told Kenny in some type of code and the short bespectacled boy nodded, leaving the cart of books. They scored some couch seats just outside the library to talk.

Tyson scratched his head. "Okay, so what's this Assembly about?"

"It's the biggest talent event of the school year and it's a much better venue than trying to play at the student center or a random club." Max replied. "Tyson here wants to start a band and get exposure." He told Kenny.

Kenny smoothed his tie down like he was a businessman about to make a sale. "The assembly is the perfect opportunity for that, of course. It takes place in December at the Bay Civic Center. It's mainly a school talent show, showcasing our excellence in arts, but individual acts are welcomed."

"Sounds just like any other talent show." Tyson replied and Kenny got a frazzled look.

"It's no joke! The dance club spends all year preparing their entry, as do others. The BCC has a huge auditorium in there that the drama students use for productions. My E-Shakespeare club meets there too, you should join." He said pointedly and both Max and Tyson gave each other edgy looks.

"Anyway," Kenny smiled in creepy delight, "Winter Assembly Attendance is mandatory. Bay City High has approximately three thousand students. It's like a small concert."

"Winner gets a cash prize too." Max said thoughtfully, tapping his chin with his drumstick.

"Well, you've got no chance at that, Max!" Hilary said sourly, popping out of thin air and startling all the boys badly. "MingMing." Her voice was dark and foreboding.

"Who cares about that?!" Tyson's words rushed out excitedly. "Think of the audience!" Then he blinked. "MingMing? Who's that?"

Max and Kenny sighed but the Chief's sounded more lovesick. Tyson gave them a questioning look.

"MingMing…" Kenny intoned with reverence.

Hilary ground her teeth and dragged Tyson over to the railing to overlook the first floor. She pointed to the same blue-haired girl with too much eye shadow he'd seen the Chief swooning over the other day. The girl was a queen; that much was obvious. She was holding court in the cafeteria with her equally pretty friends and he could see other nerdy boys and young girls all giving her that same adoring look from afar.

"**That** is MingMing. She's won the assembly grand prize every year she's been here. Five years running, I think. School Band club works all year for that prize too and she always manages to get the crowd vote!" Hilary obviously had it in for this girl.

Tyson frowned in confusion. "I thought this school was only a four year—"

"She's not the brightest," Hilary said at the same time Kenny screamed "She's the best!"

Max chuckled nervously and the short brunet shook himself out of his daydream. "She puts on the best presentation and I'm routing for her again this year. So you can see why I can't help you anymore than necessary."

"If she's so great then Tyson wouldn't be a threat, would he?" Hilary mumbled to herself angrily, but the bell rang and Kenny immediately left to who knew where.

The trio scrambled to get their books together and bounded up the stairs two at a time, nearly knocking over niners.

"I don't see why we need the Chief anyway." Tyson complained.

"He's the head of the production club; they're in charge of managing the entrants and putting on the show." Hilary shrugged. "If you want in, you have to get the Chief to okay it."

"Crap," Tyson replied.

* * *

It was at the start of his lunch period that Tyson spotted more rock band material. He pointed the teen out to Hilary who was in line with him in the cafeteria.

"That's Ray, he's on a scholarship for the soccer program. He's the school's star when it comes to that!" The girl rattled off aimlessly, trying to decide between two types of pizza.

Tyson appraised the guy, absentmindedly taking a bite out of his own pizza. He had nice black hair and a sports jersey on.

"He must be really popular." Tyson concluded, watching him buy a cookie and book it out of the cafeteria out to the field. A guy who looked like that would bring flocks to a crowd vote at the winter assembly.

"Actually, I don't know. He's an upper year." Hilary explained while they went to the table where Max was saving them seats. "He disappears at lunchtime. You're not allowed off the grounds but we think he goes somewhere anyway. You'd have to ask the soccer team if you want to know more, they probably know him the best."

Max took a long drag of his boxed juice. "Who is Tyson interested in now?"

"Ray Kon." Hilary said, and Tyson looked sheepish.

The blonde didn't seem surprised. "He's in my class half of gym. He works at a restaurant part time at lunch, just to help out with the rush."

Hilary gave him a strange look. It seemed like they were over their little fight by now.

"We struck up a conversation about food during class." Max shook his boxed juice, dismayed it was empty.

Tyson deflated. "I wonder if I can catch him afterschool."

"You could probably talk to him now." Max offered. "He's running tryouts today for the soccer team, so he's probably there the whole period!"

"Sweet!" Tyson cheered and inhaled the rest of his pizza. "Will you guys come too?" He asked around a mouthful.

Max and Hilary looked at each other. "Sorry, I've got to go help Ms. Treble get my replacement up to speed."

"I have a debate club meeting as soon I'm done." The brunette waved her hand, pizza crust in the air. "But by all means, go! Go and turn all those to your ridiculous rock band idea!"

"I will!" Tyson agreed and slapped his own crust down. Max snickered.

* * *

On his way out to the field he saw Kai at the water fountain. His two tone hair was glinting in the sun and he had a scarf wrapped around his neck. The weather _was_ getting cooler. It made him look awfully demure, Tyson thought and then immediately scratched that as one of the teen's cronies stuck a leg out to an unsuspecting passer-by, sending them sprawling. Kai was a sly bastard, the king of his court. That was certain.

That stupid Hiwatari Mystery…It was sleuth time! Since no one seemed wise to the ways of the great and elusive teen he'd have to dig them out himself.

The soccer players on the field were dispersing now and Tyson slipped to the boys' locker room when he didn't spot Ray among them.

"Ergh!" Tyson cringed at the school colours inside the room. Gray. And _pink!_

Bizarrely, there were a pair of pompoms on the bench and Tyson picked them up in amusement.

"It's more of a silver and mauve to me," A voice said with an amused lilt, reading the other's mind easily. "The girls like it though." The teen he was looking for said, as if girls liking men in pink made it all right.

Tyson dropped the pompoms with a slight embarrassment. "Hey, you're-"

"Ray Kon." The teen grinned, and Tyson noticed his hair was very, very long. He was balancing a soccer ball on his knee as he spoke. "You're new here right?"

"Yeah, I'm Tyson." He nodded cheerfully, surprised he'd been noticed. "Just moved back here, actually."

"You don't say," Ray tilted his head. "Are you lookin' to join the team? Try-outs just ended but we have another one for non-returning players."

Tyson laughed and waved a hand at that. "Oh no! Actually, I-" Tyson's eyes widened and Ray gave him a confused look before realizing his concern. The soccer player sweat-dropped with a sympathetic and somewhat nervous smile.

"What is **that**?" Tyson asked with ill-disguised horror.

The offending 'that' was the school mascot Mr. Bay High Bee, dressed in the most hideous combination of gray, pink, and his yellow and black stripes. It was the biggest abomination Tyson'd ever seen.

Mr. Bay High Bee took off the ridiculously mustached bee head and Tyson nearly fell over.

Scratch that, it was just Kenny, looking very harassed and sweaty.

"Chief?" Tyson asked plaintively. He'd never expected the short nerd to be the school mascot in a million years!

"Yes that's me." The short teen said testily as he adjusted his glasses. Tyson didn't even know why he was doing that, they were on his head not his face. He stared while Kenny took a paper cup of water from Ray who was fanning him down.

"Don't tell me you're here to seduce Ray to your side!" The Chief deduced perfectly.

"Er," Tyson laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "That's not exactly… Well," He paused.

Ray was blushing. "What's this now?" He asked as he helped pry the body of the mascot outfit off Kenny.

"Well," Tyson said, this time more confident. "I saw you and thought you'd be perfect."

The Chinese teen gave him a nervous look.

"You'd be the perfect bass player for my rock band!" The pony-tailed teen announced with a grin. "How about it Ray? There's prize money involved!" He offered, remembering the teen worked part time and had a scholarship.

"Um," Ray replied simply. "But I don't know how to play the bass."

"I can teach you everything you need to know, I've got one and know how to play." Tyson said proudly. "It's a piece of cake!"

The older teen's eye glinted at the word cake and Tyson quirked an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Why aren't you playing bass?" Ray asked practically.

"Because I'm the lead guitarist!"

Kenny rolled his eyes at the exchange. He re-tied his tie, it was green today.

"Well," The teen twirled the soccer ball on his finger in thought. "Prize money is pretty tempting. Sure. I can make time, and it'd be nice to graduate with a bang."

Tyson cheered madly, waving the previously discarded pompoms with relish. "YES! YES! YES!"

Ray grinned at his excitement and Tyson noticed he had longer canines than normal.

The Chief huffed in annoyance. "And then there were three." He said in a surly voice. "You do know you still need an entry spot."

"C'mon Chief, don't you wanna show off to MingMing?" He gave him his most charming smile. "If you let us in you can take credit for discovering us!"

Kenny blushed but then looked skeptical. "I doubt she'd see it like that."

Tyson's face fell and Ray smiled. "We can give you some new pick up lines and advice?" He suggested. It seemed like everyone in the school had been witness to Kenny's failed attempts to woo the Queen.

The Chief's face was completely red. "Deal. But Tyson, the only way I'll help you is if you do take up some extra curricular activities. Give back to the school community! I'm sure it's a great way to build up a fanbase too." The brunet nodded in conviction.

"But… But, I like my lazing time." He grinned boyishly and bat his eyes at the shorter teen.

Kenny did not buy it. "Better savour it then, 'cause you're going to work!"

"Say what?!"

Ray grinned. "If you join the soccer team, we can do lessons after practice!"

"Hey! Uh, that won't work, I can't be going to games all the time if I have to join more clubs!" Tyson howled.

The Chinese teen waved the pompoms at him. "Who said anything about playing?"

"If you say so…" Tyson said in quiet horror. He wondered what Ray had in store.

"Okay Tyson, I expect you at E-Shakespeare. I'll get you the Assembly forms for then. Now let's get Bee-Zee!!" Kenny cheered.

Tyson slapped a fingerless gloved hand to his face. Ray put his hand on the new kid's shoulder with an encouraging smile. "It won't be that bad!"

Lunch was just about up.

* * *

There weren't that many empty seats left in Art and Tyson scanned quickly.

"Hey!" Tyson exclaimed in delight and rushed over to spill his books onto the desk next to Ray Kon.

"I didn't know you were in this class." He pulled out the chair and slumped in. The other teen had been in the classroom long enough to set up his notes, which meant Tyson was pretty late. It didn't make sense, they'd left at the same time!

He checked. Nope, Treble hadn't had her coffee yet. The old lady was taking her time putting in the sugar and milk so he definitely hadn't been seen.

"Guess you never noticed", Ray smiled. "You should really pay attention!"

"Not as if you said anything," Tyson said defensively but in good humour. "You like art?"

Ms. Treble was savoring her first sip of the afternoon. He pitied the sucker who decided to walk in now. She'd make them do lines with her famous catch phrase all period.

"Well, to be honest, I'm really crap at it. It's just an easy credit. That model there is mine." He said sheepishly and pointed to a side of the room lined with shelves.

They both looked to the case of exemplars from other classes and previous years where a lumpy clay thing sat on the far right corner.

"That's… cool." Tyson said, wondering what the hell it was.

"Yeah Ms. Treble thought it was my homage to the Tibetan exile, but it's actually just supposed to be a tiger." He shrugged. "I didn't correct her."

Tyson didn't correct Ray either, he really was crap. But it wasn't like he was so much better, his art was music not painting or craftsmanship. The best masterpieces of drawing he managed to produce were like the blobbish ones he was doodling.

Him as lead rock star jamming on his guitar; Max on drums being full of energy; Ray on bass all cool. Hilary and Kenny were similar blobs on the side cheering (more like yelling) at them… The last person, the second guitarist's face, was pragmatically empty, for now.

For a moment he felt he could give the Queen MingMing a run for her money.

* * *

Coach Clef had them lined up like for a mug shot of epic proportions. It didn't help that the high florescent lights shone down on them in their drab uniforms of gray t-shirts and black shorts. Mr. Bay High Bee was proudly stamped on each of their backs.

The coach, a man with a very thick brown mustache, kind of like the Bee, and very large running shoes let out a long piercing whistle. It lasted so long their ears were ringing afterwards and Tyson privately thought he'd be good on a wind instrument. Publically, his opinion was a bit different.

"He needs to stop blowing that thing like his lover." Tyson joked in a nonchalant whisper to Max, Kenny, and Ray who were lined up next to him as Clef shouted out instructions on how to play basketball.

The chief turned red with embarrassment as he caught the innuendo right away. Yeah, Kenny was a pretty well-rounded kid. "Tyson! Don't let him hear you say things like that!"

This type of humor was really very strange to hear at Bay High. The random boys around them looked away and pretended to be more interested in the very high ceiling instead of listening in.

Ray smiled uncertainly. "He'll give you laps Tyson!"

"No he won't, I'm new!" The pony-tailed boy said, batting his eyelashes in innocence and the class watched as Mr. Clef did a lay-up with the basketball he'd been bouncing up and down so annoyingly. The whistle hit him in the face as he landed back on the gym floor and he hastily fumbled with it to make sure it didn't fall off.

"Someone get that man a hotdog, it's bigger and guaranteed to have more protein!" Tyson snickered madly at the look on Ray's face.

"Wow, Tyson that's… really dirty." The taller teen said finally with a slightly unsure smile, as if he wasn't positive that he should be enjoying the joke.

Tyson's laughter was contagious however, and he went along good naturedly with it while Kenny looked more and more like a beetroot. The rest of the class tittered but no one dared to crack any jokes themselves.

On the sideline against the wall, Kai's lips cracked into a wicked smirk at the new kid's antics. Coach Clef had a horrible attachment to blowing his whistle. One day he'd drop down dead from suffocation. And even though it was mean, it was still funny. Especially since Clef had been hounding him to be more 'proactive' for years. Carlos and the rest of his goons gave him a curious look. Caught, the dual-haired teen frowned as if he hadn't been amused at all. In fact, he looked downright pissed.

Sadly, Coach Clef chose to notice that. "Hiwatari!" He shouted loudly and blew his whistle again.

Tyson nearly split his side laughing making Ray and Kenny fear for their new friend's sanity.

"Come and do the lay-up since you seem to think this is a waste of time." Clef jutted his chin out stubbornly and waited until the teen in question joined him on the court. Kai looked extremely apathetic as the man bounced the ball to him and blew the whistle for him to start.

Kai grit his teeth.

The three jogging steps were taken carefully and the basketball sailed up and over, swishing cleaning through the net.

The class gave a polite applause. Kai looked pointedly at Tyson, because it was his fault he'd had to do this stupid crap, and then snubbed him and walked back to his gang.

The kids around "ooo'ed" at the new rivalry while Kai's gang snickered in appreciation. Tyson knew a challenge when he saw one. When they'd gotten into small groups to practice at the various nets around the gym he immediately hogged the ball and started doing his lay-ups.

"Your form's all wrong." Ray said with slight amusement but the ball went into the net anyway. Tyson smiled in satisfaction and then he turned and whistled at Kai's gang who had the net in the sulky corner by the exit.

"Watch this!" He yelled smugly noticing Kai's displeased look. The members in Tyson's group just fiddled around, rocking on the balls of their feet in boredom.

This time though, the ball was thrown so hard in determination that when it bounced off the backboard it sailed straight back and hit Tyson straight in the chest. "Oof!" He was knocked on his back and the whole class roared with laughter.

Coach Clef looked concerned. "You okay?"

Tyson nodded and shook his wild bangs out of his eyes with a sour look. That hadn't really gone as spectacularly as he'd planned. The teacher blew his whistle shrilly. "Hiwatari!"

The huge smirk on Kai's face was wiped in an instant and replaced with pure arrogance. "What?" He stopped bouncing his basketball.

"Come here and help Granger with his lay-up. You're his partner. Everyone get into pairs, back to work!!" He blew his whistle again and ran to get his water bottle.

Well, Tyson watched from his seated position on the floor, if Kai didn't want to kill him before he probably did now.

"Uh," The new kid started brilliantly. "Hi. I'm Tyson."

Kai didn't deign to react and snapped his fingers in front of Tyson's dazed eyes to bring him to attention. The dual haired teen did the lay-up again, perfect as usual then threw the ball at Tyson.

Grumbling, he did his own lay-up and it failed, miserably. Maybe Ray had been right about his form.

Kai looked pissed now and he snatched the ball from Tyson. He repeated the lay-up and passed Tyson the ball again, this time a bit too hard. He'd been staring intently at Kai's form.

The pony-tailed teen rubbed his chest, "Geez…" he muttered, but did the lay-up anyway. The ball skimmed around the rim of the net then sank in.

Tyson blinked in surprise and his eyes cut to Kai who seemed thoughtful and sat down on the floor. Tyson guessed that was his cue to continue practicing. He kind of felt like the Karate kid, next he was gonna have to wax on and off, with the Hiwatari Mystery watching his every move. He did another lay-up and the bounce of the ball off his palm left a strange stinging but pleasing sensation.

The Cleftor called for them to practice passes. One of Kai's little henchmen was hovering near to replace Tyson at this new lesson since there were an odd number of students but the Coach pointedly paired up with him. Kai's gang must've done something in their past lives too to get on that man's bad side.

Kai apathetically bounce-passed the ball to him and Tyson followed his example. This carried on for a while and it was really starting to grate on Tyson's nerves that he was being treated like the ugliest person on earth. One second Kai was teaching him good form and now Kai refused to look at him!

The Hiwatari Mystery needed to be solved.

Starting with…

"Hey, so, you're kinda hot." Tyson started out unabashedly which made Kai gape. The follow-up wasn't as good. "Why do you wear all that make-up?"

The basketball slammed into his face.

"Oooowwww…." Tyson groaned loudly. Coach didn't notice the foul play as he was too busy shining his whistle.

"Whoops. Guess I have butterfingers." Kai's smirk was back.

"Where are you hiding it?" Tyson licked his lip to get rid of the sting and grinned teasingly. He checked Kai out for places he could stash candy bars of that variety, remembering how Kai apparently loved the vending machine like a brother. Kai looked about ready to have a cow.

Coach Clef let off a shrill whistle perfectly in time with the bell, signaling the end of gym time. Kai pushed pass Tyson abruptly, making his way to the front of the line into the gym locker rooms by sheer intimation.

Everyone filed in.

* * *

Max said it was a miracle that there were so many guys changing and showering and causing a huge commotion in the locker room because that meant Kai had less of a chance of spotting Tyson and killing him.

Tyson was almost disappointed.

"You're in for a nasty surprise, Tyson." Max warned and Ray agreed whole-heartedly, pulling on a fresh t-shirt.

Tyson shook his hair out of his eyes and took it out of his pony-tail to redo the tie. "I think I've got him figured out."

The guys around Tyson all gave each other looks of dismay but did not press the issue.

Ray waited for Max and Tyson, idly running a comb through the front of his hair and they made their way out of the gym lockers towards the school lockers so they could get their bags. Kenny had been lost in the fray or maybe he'd managed to disappear to one of his clubs again, it was hard to tell.

Hilary was leaning against Max's locker when they showed up.

"Um," She had a blush on her cheek and a determined frown. "I'm sorry for earlier Max."

If the apology came as a surprise to Max, he didn't show it. "No problem Hil, I'm sorry too."

Awww, how sweet. Tyson and Ray shared an amused glance, and Tyson was severely happy that they did. It was a bit weird being around a boy and a girl who were such good friends. At his old school, well, yeah. That had been that.

As if on cue, Kai and his goons walked pass them all, straight to the vending machine. Kai's hair was wet, as if he'd showered. He looked severely pissed.

Nothing new there. Before they could stop him Tyson yelled out, "Hey, Kai, wanna break me off a piece of that?" He pointed to the Kit-Kat bar in his hand with a joking grin.

"Tyson!" Hilary, Max, and Ray all dog piled him, sending him straight into the lockers in an effort to shut him up. No one wanted an epic fight so early in the school year, it would mean Beats.

"G-G-" Tyson laughed madly into the locker. "Gimme a break!"

But the Mystery had already slammed out.

He didn't think anyone ever watched Kai for long, because it was so obvious if you actually did. He'd watched the dual-haired teen when he was taking a drink of water from a fountain. He'd rubbed the lingering moisture from his lips with the back of his hand while the other hand dove into his pocket and pulled out a small toy. Kai looked at the toy like it was his family or something and then he hastily shoved it back into the safe pocket.

At first Tyson'd thought nothing of it except for the stray thought of, 'Okay, that was a little psycho…' But the more he replayed the scene in his head he realized Kai walked around with his hand in his pocket a lot. He sure was paranoid about something that seemed so silly.

Tyson grinned to himself all day.

The Mystery was so busted.

Because Kai liked _Beyblade.  
_

* * *

End Track

**Author's Notes:** If you would like more, please please please review so I know there's interest! Thanks :)

**Disclaimer:** Beyblade and all its likeness does not belong to me.


	3. Key to the Hiwatari Mystery

**Tyson to a Different Tune**

**Track ****3  
**Key to the Hiwatari Mystery

* * *

The next weekend, Tyson spent the whole afternoon rummaging, but when that didn't work, he went into full out search and destroy mode. When he'd moved out of boarding school, The Benjamin Boys Academy (or Boys Bent on Academics or BBA as they liked to call it), things had gotten thrown into large boxes that he'd never unpacked properly. After tearing up his room _and_ the basement, he'd come away with the prize.

A secret weapon, to be used when the opportunity arose. It was so sneaky, Tyson felt like he was cheating, but who cared. Kai was a nut that needed cracking.

Not that he wanted to be cracked.

The month of September was closing fast, like the slam of textbooks at the end of class. The previous excitement and activity of Bay High seemed to melt away into a common and quiet trudge that was reminiscent of any school. Still it was loads different to what he'd left behind, and he was hoping his brother would check up on him soon just so he could brag. That might spur the older Granger to visit though, and Tyson wasn't sure if he wanted that just yet.

Gramps was already hounding him about grades, new friends, and if he had found a girlfriend, seeing as Bay City was apparently the place where 'all the sweet dudettes discoed.' He didn't know if he wanted to find the words to reply to that.

Classes were going as well as they could. Biology was killing him and he had a suspicion the lunch lady kind of had a crush on him. Coach Clef never paired Tyson and Kai together ever again, and everyone was thankful for it, except for Tyson. He always loved a challenge. He didn't dwell on what that meant.

* * *

Lunch was totally Max's domain. He waved a spoon at Tyson like he was Ms. Treble with her baton. Hilary had dragged them both to school band club a couple times but she was slowly absorbing the fact they were dead set on the WA.

Max waved his spoon again. The guitarist didn't think he would like the comparison.

"How come you're not embarrassed!?" The blond interrogated. He used the offending spoon to scoop up more of his fruit cup.

Not this conversation again, Tyson internally groaned. "…Cause I'm not" He chewed his fries piteously.

Max had perfected his incredulous look ages ago. "Not even a little?"

"Nope." The pony-tailed teen dunked a fry into his ketchup, watching it drown. "Guess I'm just waaay desensitized to that sorta stuff."

Hilary was sitting next to Max, scratching what seemed to be an epic into her journal. They never knew what was in there; she guarded it with her evil eyes of doom whenever they'd try to snatch it. Max blamed his feeling of bad karma on Tyson talking him into trying to steal the journal. He'd been blissfully unaware of it before the blue-haired teen had come to town.

Hilary's hand did not stop writing as she took a sip of her drink. "Exactly what kinda stuff did you get up to at the BBA?"

"Uh!!" Tyson's head hit the desk. It was the one thing they kept asking him that he evaded like a plague. "Nothing extreme!"

They gave him twin stares of disagreement.

"I'm serious!"

"Right," Max tapped his chin with his drumstick. Then he tapped Tyson on the head like a fairy godmother. "You just manage to come up with those dirty jokes all on your own."

Tyson flushed a bit and stuffed his mouth with the rest of his fries so he could not open his mouth and make some kind of comment that would get him into enemy territory. It wasn't his fault he was naturally **funny** and they couldn't come up with awesome material like he could.

"He just says that stuff for the reaction. Pay no attention to such a dirty mind!" Hilary announced, slamming her journal shut. They watched her jet off to her debate club.

They ate in relative peace. A commotion for some type of production was happening over by the indoor tree. The Chief was holding a book high into the air, which meant it only reached up to everyone else's heads. Oh damn, E-Shakespeare club was tonight, wasn't it?

"So… wait a minute. About the band," Max was perplexed, poking at the last grape in the fruit cup. It rolled around in distress. "Who's our singer?"

"Me!" Tyson insisted. The Chief gestured wildly with his book, and a few people in the crowd applauded. "I'm the guitarist, songwriter, AND singer!" He buffed his fingernails on his black t-shirt looking smug.

Max gave him a flat look. "No way. You can't sing! I refuse to believe it."

"_Yes I caaaaan!_" Tyson sang into his face and the blonde broke out into laughter.

"_No you caaaaaaan't!_" He sang back and they were nose to nose scowling determinedly. There were pale freckles dusting Max's cheeks and over the bridge of his nose. It was cute, like sprinkles on a cupcake.

"That's the weirdest stare-off I've ever seen." Ray commented above them, he smelt good, like a restaurant. Tyson's stomach grumbled even though he'd already eaten and Ray held up a bag of pork buns he'd brought back.

After school the guitarist helped with putting team equipment away for Ray as part of his club service. The job stank, in more ways than one, but Ray was a quick study at the bass and had pretty much borrowed the instrument permanently once he'd found he liked it.

"Mmm!" Max intoned with bliss. "Ray, you and your buns can sit here." He patted the seat next to him. Tyson opened his mouth to protest but the older teen sat down in Hilary's discarded seat smiling at the blonde anyway.

"So let's see some of these songs you've written." The golden-eyed teen asked. He bit into a bun.

Tyson flopped. "Er… well, they aren't exactly done…"

"Not even one!?" Max smacked his head. "What have we gotten ourselves into…"

"Never mind sing. Are you sure you can write?" Ray chewed his piece of cake thoughtfully. "Your English grades aren't exactly stellar."

"Yeah well, neither are yours." Tyson replied sourly.

"Touché." Max and Ray slumped.

"Why don't you get Hilary to look at them?" Kenny asked, startling everyone rather badly. He appeared behind Tyson's shoulder and sat primly on the chair next to him. The large book he'd been toting slammed to the lunch table.

"Chief!" Tyson cheered and then wilted. "E-Shakespeare on tonight?" Turned out that the club Kenny so readily advertised was a stay at home online club with a forum and chat so people could go for hours and hours about Billy Shakespeare from the comfort of their bedroom. They only got together once a month in person at the BCC to recite lines and essays they'd discussed.

He'd gotten the forms for the assembly over e-mail and had to print them out himself. It was like Kenny was fused with the computer when he wasn't in class or clubs. He sure didn't seem put out to tell others to get up close and personal with their computers too.

"Yes of course," Kenny replied disgruntled. "Have you been memorizing your lines?" He had given Tyson the role of Horatio while Kenny himself was Hamlet, not trusting anyone else to not mess it up.

The blue haired teen groaned and crumpled up his napkin. "Yes… I don't know why you assign homework for a CLUB. It's kind of torture!"

The Chief was eating a granola bar disinterestedly. "It's an ELECTRONIC-club, of course there's a full virtual experience online. I developed the concept and website myself! It's not homework, it's just work at home."

Tyson muttered aimlessly to himself about how Kenny was a god-mod and checked everyone's grammar and spelling personally AND publically on the website.

"Hilary isn't really so interested in helping us Chief." Max interjected, getting them back on topic. "Hmm… I wonder if she wants to sing. She's not half bad at karaoke…"

"NO!" Tyson shouted then hastily explained. "Not that she's not cool, but these songs require a male touch!"

Max and Ray groaned, thinking Tyson was dissolving back into his gay humour.

Tyson slapped his head. "I didn't mean it THAT way."

Kenny threw his wrapper down and dusted his hands off. "I was merely pointing out that the girl does some nice word work. Some of the best poetry I've read!"

"What??" The three guys asked, eyes agog.

"Oh yes," the short brunet adjusted his glasses and took up his huge book. "In that journal of hers. She sometimes posts it as JulietxxPoison on e-Shakespeare."

The trio of band mates watched the short teen walk off with their mouths hanging open.

* * *

"C'mon Hilary, don't you wanna show up MingMing? I hear she only does covers." He gave her his most charming smile. Tyson leaned in with his chin in his hand, blue eyes twice as wide. They had waited a few days to spring the trap, but she was not co-operating that well.

"Hmph!" The girl clutched her journal even tighter to her chest.

"She'll be gone by next year and you can enter with the school band then! You'll have no competition!" Tyson persuaded. "C'mon, all you have to do is help me fix my lyrics, I'm sure it'll be a breeze for you."

Max tried. "He's right! It'd be fun to work on our own music for once."

Apparently Hilary was proficient at the piano as well as flute and Tyson thought they could definitely use some synthesized tracks to add to their songs when the time came.

The girl wasn't having any of it. "I'm not skipping my other clubs to help you with your stupid band."

The two boys looked at each other. "But I NEED you." Tyson said loudly, earning the curious looks of some girls tittering by the bookshelves.

Hilary blushed, annoyed. "Maybe I can do some editing and a little playing, you know, on my free time." Max and Tyson came alive with excited buzz and she tutted, shaking her finger strictly.

"Ah, ah, ah, don't even think I'm gonna play on stage with you. Losing Max is detrimental enough as it is." She sniffed. "They couldn't handle losing ME."

"You're absolutely right Hilary." The blond beamed.

Hilary nodded. "I'll have to hear these songs for myself though Tyson. You and I have a date with the practice room next time I don't have debate club at lunch."

"I'm cool with that. It'll give me some time to write some more stuff." Tyson grinned. "It's a date."

The girls by the bookshelves began whispering to each other and the blue haired teen had to roll his eyes. Gossip mills were popular at this school, and they all seemed to be headed up by girls. It made him weary of every girl who tried to talk to him, wondering if they were gonna start spilling anything he told them to everyone else. Not that too many had tried, he wasn't ever really looking their way. Never ever really had.

"See, this is why I'm the captain of the debate team, Max, I'm always telling you…" Hilary said with a satisfied tone. Her rants droned on and melded with the rest of the chatter of the classroom.

"Sheesh," Max just smiled in gratitude and sheepishness and fondness, all at once.

* * *

It was a couple days into October when Tyson found himself in one of the private practice rooms the musical students used with Hilary. Alone. He'd had a random guy named Eric in their math class thump him on the back with congratulations. It seemed that the music practice rooms were all the hot spot for making out.

Hil was seated on the piano bench, rustling through the notebook he'd brought her.

"So can you do it?" He adjusted his guitar strap.

The girl hummed to herself his tune. It sounded foreign to him. He'd never heard it from a different person before. He wondered if he sounded that different too, singing his tune.

"Okay, let's get to it then."

Suddenly he was self conscious. "Can't we just correct it before we play?"

Hilary looked like she'd eaten something pretty sour. "No. Get on with it."

Tyson gave a long suffering sigh and plugged his guitar into the amp.

She set her fingers on the keys of the piano, planning to accompany him by adding her own harmony.

"_Look up, the stars are fading_," He sang softly, "_And_ _I am still here waiting to see you again_." He grinned. "_Be with you my friend_."

Hilary tapped her foot on the ground, keeping time.

His singing voice was a lot like his speaking one. Cheerful, smug, a little thoughtful at words that meant a bit more than Hilary knew. "_'Cause all the roads they lead to where you are, and all the streetlights shine like they were stars_." He took a deep breath, strumming faster. "_That's where you are._"

They hit the chorus and Tyson got more confident, singing louder then he ever did before. Their playing slowed as he closed it off. "_As_ _real as it seems, you're only in my dreams_."

He sang, staring straight at her.

His little inflections on odd words and confident smiles at the even ones left her blushing, just a little.

"Uh," She said awkwardly. It was odd seeing Tyson look so sincere. "Okay, that works… I guess…"

"It's hot, I know." Tyson grinned and Hilary slammed the notebook over his head.

"You are in serious need of some harmony, and another verse." She said critically. "Tighten up the chorus and teach someone else to sing or something."

The blue haired teen bit his tongue at the hard advice.

She sensed his dread. "You're good, but it's rough, like you haven't ever sung out loud. Sing in the shower or something, I don't care. Just let it out!" Hilary nodded to herself and they wrote some notes and suggestions and changes into the notebook.

The door opened and Max peeked in. "We ready to go?"

"Yeah." Tyson said, slightly in awe at what he and Hilary had managed to do. "Can we work on it again soon Hil?" he asked, jumping off the piano stool.

She nodded and pulled out her own band music to continue practicing.

The two boys were just exiting the music hall when a tough older kid wearing a bandana on his head bumped into Tyson. His guitar swung around on his shoulder dangerously.

"Whoops sorry—"

"Watch where you're going!" The guy threatened, his thick black eyebrows furrowing menacingly. He took a good look at who he was intimidating and then realization clicked behind his beady eyes.

"I know you!" He gestured with a drumstick. It almost whacked the guitarist in the head.

"Hwuah?" Tyson said intelligently.

"That new kid, yeah," The teen looked intrigued. "The one boss doesn't like so much."

"Eeer, meet my replacement." The blond next to them said to Tyson, gesturing with his own drumstick. "Carlos." Max said the name like he was eating a sour gummy worm, squiggly and pursed.

"Carlos!" Another person shouted down the hall a second after. They watched as one of the new drummer's friends ran up.

"Come ON, Kai's bitching big tim—" He stopped, staring at Tyson.

"Hey you're that kid!" He pointed unceremoniously. The pony-tailed teen threw them a bizarre look.

"Yeah, Stewart" Carlos agreed. "He's the one from gym who Kai can't stand."

"Nooo," the other boy said. "Well, yeah." He conceded. "But he's the one who's starting that rock band."

The bandana wearing teen looked curiously happy.

Stewart slapped Carlos on the shoulder with a grin. "Well now that Max left the school band, big man here has been promoted to first drummer!

Max let out a sigh like he had suffered the same spiel before.

Carlos puffed up in pride.

"That's… cool." Tyson said, unsure if Carlos wanted well-wishing.

The new drummer shook his head and then jabbed a finger into Tyson's diaphragm. "I've been waiting forever to actually play the drums! Do you know what percussion Treble had me on before? The COWBELL. Percussion my ass." He ranted then jabbed Tyson again. "So make sure it STAYS that way!"

"Yeah keep Max, we don't want him!" Stewart cheered.

Everyone looked at him strangely.

"You're not in band Stewart." Max pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but," he floundered. "I was being the Yes man."

Carlos looked pleased. "And you're a good Yes man."

"And speaking of Yes men," Tyson said with a grin. "Aren't you two keeping a certain Mystery waiting?"

"Ah, damn!" Both of them cursed. It was only coincidence they were heading to the vending machine near Tyson and Max's lockers. The quartet walked together awkwardly in pairs.

"I wonder what chocolate Kai will get today." Tyson said aloud, and Kai's goons threw him suspicious glares over their shoulders.

Max sighed. "You shouldn't make fun."

"Sure, sure. He likes sweets, I think it's nice. It's proof he's bitter enough." Tyson snickered. "Maybe I'll get something too."

"You don't need any sweets. Your mind's already rotten." Max laughed and together they watched Carlos and Stewart join their boss, handing over change before he could kick down the machine.

* * *

Tyson's song still wasn't perfect even a week later and he didn't feel like sharing it to anyone else besides Hilary yet. They were making great progress. It was shaping up to be the perfect reason of why Tyson wanted a band. Now all they had to worry about was if they played and sang it well. And boy, they needed practice, so he had Ray and Max in one of the larger music rooms after school warming up.

"Okay, let's do 'I want you to want me.' Everyone covers that song because it's easy and fun to play." He cheered and strummed a few practice chords.

"Let's take it a bit slower," Ray warned. "My fingering isn't that great yet."

They agreed and Max counted them in with the snap of his drumsticks together.

The trio played for a total of thirty seconds before they stopped, depression dangling above them like Coach Clef's whistle.

"Damn." Max said. "We suck."

Ray laughed a little but looked dismayed.

Tyson moaned in panic and thunked his head against the wall. "We.. We don't! We just need practice! Together! Right now everyone is doing their own thing!"

"You mean YOU'RE doing your own thing!" Ray muttered. Tyson hadn't been slower at all!

Tyson scratched his head rapidly in frustration. "I'm used to practicing solo."

"Yeah well," Max joked. "Not all of us have practiced solo in front of a mirror."

Both Tyson and Ray clammed up. They both shared a grin and laughed.

"Don't tell me…" Max face palmed and the grinned. "Guys, get a hold of reality. You aren't stars YET!"

The two long haired teens couldn't help it and cracked up again.

"Oh Ray, I know why you're staring at yourself in the mirror!" Tyson crowed. "It's not just because of my sexy bass you are holding close. It's 'cause you're so pretty!"

The Chinese youth rolled his eyes. "Yeah Tyson, and I bet YOU practice in the nude. You must get all that confidence from somewhere."

Ray paused and then blushed making the other boys laugh madly.

"Oh my god, you're rubbing off on me."

That sent Max and Tyson into further peals of laughter. Tyson fell over.

"Geeze…" Ray smiled.

Tension broken, the second run through went a million times better.

* * *

Hallowe'en was coming up in just a few days and the evidence was already spread over the neighbourhood like a large blanket of tacky orange decorations.

Tyson pedaled agonizingly slow so he could keep pace with the group. They gave him dirty looks at joining their entourage down the sidewalk but Tyson wasn't pushed over yet so he took it as a good sign.

Today was the day, he decided. He had brought the secret weapon to school, but it was a class half day in gym so there had been no opportunity. Not that it mattered anyway; he couldn't just pull it out in broad daylight at school like that.

That's why he decided to follow Kai and his crew. And by follow, that meant he just walked up to them when they were leaving and biked alongside, not really bothering. The group was arrogant enough that they ignored him. The band gang had called him crazy, but Tyson just couldn't help it. There was something about mystery that made him all excited.

After a while, they ended up in a very high class part of the neighborhood and it dawned on Tyson they could be on some kind of criminal chore. Like they had to steal three mailboxes from nice homes each week or something. He could be an accomplice already!

Kai got out his keychain and opened the gates.

"Seeya on Monday," the one with a little hat said cheerfully.

That was _Kai's_ house? Woah. He shook the surprise out of his system, jumped off his bike and kicked the stand.

"Hey Kai, um," Everyone had turned their beady eyes on him. It was kinda scary when they did it in tandem like that. Tyson asked with great foreboding, "Can I come over?"

The gang looked like he'd made the funniest joke on earth and promptly started laughing. Kai was left staring piercingly at the new kid, his hand griping the iron bar of the gate.

Tyson dug through his backpack like a man possessed and pulled it out – his secret weapon. If this didn't work…

"Um, uhhh," He held up Dragoon. "Because _I_, Tyson Granger, challenge _you_, Kai Hiwatari, to a _Beybattle!_" He declared with flare.

Kai looked like the type to be fond of drama.

"Go home." The dual-haired leader said harshly, not looking at any of them anymore.

Carlos grinned, "Yeah, go home you—"

"I meant _you_," Kai interrupted rudely. Carlos gaped. The leader cut a glance to each member of the gang and pointedly ignored Tyson.

"What! But Kai," The one with the blue bob and beauty mark whined.

Wow, Kai looked like a serial killer when he was ordering people around. "You were going home _anyway_, weren't you?"

The boys cautiously nodded.

"Then go!" Kai finally shouted, which pretty much had the effect of scattering his friends as if a gun had been fired off. Tyson cringed but stood rooted to the spot. He held the handlebars of his bike in case he had to make a quick get away too.

The bandana wearing Carlos seemed braver than the other lot and hung back although he was hovering a few feet farther from Kai than before. "Boss," he started out, but Kai cut him down with a rather unusual trash talking line.

"Don't forget to pick up your little sister from ballet."

Carlos reddened and then grumbled, defeated. He spared an angry glance at Tyson before jogging away down the street calling after the others to wait up.

It was just the two of them now in front of the gate. Kai was staring at him.

Tyson had no idea his old beyblade would probably be the key to getting into Kai's house but that was the thing about secret weapons – no one knew what they did until the time they needed to be used.

* * *

By now he'd already been over to Max's house, which turned out to be above the little corner hobby store downtown, next to the music store he'd gotten his guitar at. Hilary lived a bit too far away to bike to; she took the bus to school everyday. They'd all went over to a Ramen shop close to school and were surprised to see Kenny and Ray there too. Turned out his family owned it, and it was the same one Ray helped out at during lunchtimes.

They were all coming over to his place this weekend. He'd definitely have to clean up. But nothing could prepare him for the mess that was Kai's place.

Tyson was confused when he wasn't immediately let into the huge house which was practically a mansion it was so awesome. He followed Kai around the side on a path that probably was not supposed to be there originally, worn into the perfectly cut grass.

And there it was. The shack of all shacks. It was like a miniature house that could have been a garage or a glorified work shed. It was so run down it seemed surreal in the surrounding rich homes. The roof also looked like it was in danger of falling off right in front of the door. Tyson gulped.

"What are you, chicken?" Kai asked with a large smirk.

"I think I like cock better." Tyson replied, his lips parted slightly in a devious smile.

For a moment Kai looked dumbfounded, but that surly heavy lidded glare back before Tyson knew it. He unlocked the shack and went inside. Dammit he couldn't help it. That one had been hilarious! The guitarist followed close behind.

Inside it was almost pristine, if you could call metal walls a luxury.

"Shoes _OFF_." The taller teen commanded suddenly and Tyson nearly tripped over himself to obey.

The lights flicked on and Kai dropped his bag on floor and immediately flopped into the reclining chair, his feet up on the desk.

Tyson stared and Kai looked almost self-conscious at falling into his solitary routine. Mostly he just glared at the new kid like they were doing business.

The pony-tailed teen was looking around in wonder. On the outside it looked like a shanty house but inside it was already a billion times nicer than the recreation rooms at Bay High or the BBA. Save for the very unwelcome exterior and host.

Kai dug through a large metal chest near the desk and came up with some seriously cool beyblade gear. He pulled his beyblade out of his pocket and set up his blade.

Tyson looked on, slightly amused. He'd never thought Kai would be a hobbyist, though it was always the special ones. His mind drifted back to his old school and then flashed forward again when Kai kicked the chest close with a huge thunk.

"So you do this everyday…" Tyson smiled cheerfully, looking down at the Beyblade in his hand. It'd been a while since he'd held Dragoon. Felt good.

"I do a lot of things." Kai said vaguely. He seemed tired, his posture actually relaxed.

"Like what?" He lopped around the room with a happy curiosity. Pass the desk Kai sat at, there was a small cot, a couch, shelves galore filled with books about things Tyson only wondered about, and a huge beydish directly dead centre. Kai didn't answer, merely watching the other teen tilt a trophy to read the inscription.

And that was when Tyson spotted it. Out of the corner of his eye, hanging above the cozy half sofa near the wall, was a guitar. He'd never seen anything so perfect in his life, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"What are you gaping at?" Kai threatened and Tyson had to stare at the older teen in a new light.

His father had given Tyson a guitar and ambition and the passion to do something with it. His mother had given him Dragoon, a little gift, the kind of gift that a mom gets their child when they go grocery shopping together, or when they're sick. Just a little something that meant a lot.

In a weird way, that meant she had given him Kai too.

Tyson stood over the beydish, suddenly serious, and took out his dinky little starter launcher. He set Dragoon on it.

Kai looked intrigued and then cross at the sight of the beginner equipment. Without a word he went back to the chest and pulled out another launcher. Tyson looked sheepish and the other teen squarely handed it over and returned to the other side of the dish.

"You can keep it. I've got dozens."

"I'm sure you do…" Tyson muttered under his breath, still in awe of the guitar on the wall.

Kai count them down. They were gonna do this standing up then. He'd only ever beybladed on his knees.

His inexperience showed and the match was over the moment the blades hit the dish.

Tyson watched a frown start to grow on Kai's face in alarm. "Again!" He shouted and grabbed up his blade, clicking it back onto the launcher.

Maybe Kai liked repetition, because he looked dangerously pleased.

The second time was loads better than the first. As was the third, and the fourth.

The fifth time Tyson could have sworn he did a little damage to Kai's blade, which was called Dranzer, but in the sixth round it hadn't mattered.

Losing miserably had never been his thing, but Kai seemed so content to pound him silly Tyson found it hard to care. The mystery had been cracked wide open and he wanted inside.

They were ripping for what seemed like the twentieth time when a voice crackled through a speaker set up on one of the walls under a clock.

"_Kai? Where are you, you insolent little—Kai!_"

Kai swore and threw down his launcher. He sat behind his desk and jammed the button on his microphone. "WHAT?"

Tyson cringed.

"_I have been calling your cell phone for the past half hour!"_ The haughty voice announced. "_Either you are in the foyer in 60 seconds or I am coming out to that godforsaken shack—"_

Kai swore even louder this time and tossed his microphone into the rubbish bin. He crossed the room and in no time at all was hovering over Tyson.

"Er," Tyson managed before he was hauled by the back of his shirt. "What the!?"

"That's your cue to leave." The dual haired teen unceremoniously threw the other towards the entrance and Tyson hastily slipped his feet back into his shoes without undoing the shoelaces.

Kai took up a briefcase and swiped all the stuff on his desk straight into it. There was a suit jacket in there getting covered with papers and random bits of eraser rubbings.

"Um…" Tyson rubbed his arm anxiously. "Kai…"

"What?" He was slipping his own shoes on and then both of them were out of the shack, walking at a crisp pace around the main house. There was a large sleek black car sitting in the driveway. The ignition was running and someone in a suit was at the driver's seat.

Tyson found his bike moved to the side under a tree. "Can I, y'know," He hopped onto his bike and Kai opened the gate. "Come over again sometime?"

"Come all you like," Kai said with a stony expression. The pony-tailed teen heard someone open the front door of the house. "But now you've got to go."

And Tyson did, with a smile.

* * *

End Track

**Author's Notes: **Please review if you like the story, it gives me fuel to finish! I appreciate everyone who does!! I haven't figured out how to work the review reply feature though, so you'll just have to bear with me.

**Disclaimer:** Beyblade and all its likeness does not belong to me. Song Used: On Top of the World by Boys Like Girls


	4. Different Sides of the Fence

**Tyson to a Different Tune**

**Track 4  
**Different Sides of the Fence

* * *

They were walking to his place after school maybe a week later. Tyson held the handles to his bike to guide it alongside himself while Max and Hilary used the sidewalk. He steered his two friends through the residential area on a shortcut to the dojo.

"Max and Hilary, sitting in a tree!" A high-pitched buzzing rang through the air.

The two in the tree groaned, their elbows clunking together in dismay. Tyson looked around frantically for the perpetrator.

"What was THAT?" He asked but Hilary was already halfway down the street, almost running. Tyson and Max bolted after her.

When they rounded the bend a red blur jumped in front of them and suddenly attached itself to Hilary.

"K-I-S-I-N-G!!" The voice sang badly again and Tyson spied a redheaded kid. He watched Max peel the demon off Hilary who looked about ready to throttle someone.

"Shut up Daichi!!" The girl hissed at the short kid. "And it's spelt with two S's you brat! How old are you, five?!"

"No, I'm thirteen." Daichi rolled his eyes and huffed. "You KNOW that."

"Well you act three." Hilary sighed, long and suffering and the kid immediately switched tactics.

"Don't you have candy in your bag?" He immediately started digging into her backpack and she screamed, twirling around to try and get the kid off her back.

Daichi fell off and the girl boxed his ears causing them both to start shouting loudly again.

Tyson threw his hands up in his air. "What!?"

"Daichi's from the primary school a few blocks from here." Max shook his head and grinned. "She's tutoring him."

The pony-tailed teen remembered that school, he'd done one year there before he'd moved away. Daichi happily bugged Hilary, running around the group as they continued down the route to the dojo.

"Believe me, I'm only doing it as a favour to his mom. He's the most annoying kid I've ever met." Hilary bit out and pushed the kid away again.

"He doesn't seem THAT bad." Tyson laughed and scratched his head through his hat. Somehow he remembered being that energetic when he was that age. It had been before he'd moved to the upper school of the BBA.

Daichi stopped his running in circles and pushed his face into Tyson's surprised one.

"Why're you wearing such tight pants?!" Daichi pointed at the guitarist's slim grey jeans in sudden terror. "ARE YOU A YUNICK?"

"A what?" Tyson asked incredulously.

"It's eunuch, Daichi!" Hilary had a view throbbing on her forehead. The guys threw her curious looks. "Don't you people know history? Eunuch! They were castrated men. Daichi's all obsessed with them because they're doing a history project in school."

"I'm not obsessed!" Daichi screamed at the same time Tyson shouted, "WHAT! You little gnome!!"

He clawed at the kid who skipped just out of reach.

"Don't worry he's been calling everyone that. Last month he was pretending he was a dinosaur because they did a project on that." Hilary rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't speak a real word for days."

"Nyah!!" The kid stuck his tongue out. "Seeya next week Grandma!!" He laughed and ran up the street they'd just come down, kicking old discarded pumpkins and decorations. He was probably on the mother of all sugar highs. Hallowe'en had just been a few nights ago after all.

Hilary was still ranting angrily about the kid when they walked inside the dojo.

* * *

Ray showed up at his place an hour later, the Chief in tow.

The sporty teen cast impressive looks around the training hall. "Wow Tyson, nice place." He whistled.

"Ray!" Tyson shouted with a grin. Max stopped his crazy drumming on his practice pad and Hilary could finally uncover her ears. "Chief!!" Tyson yelled even louder when the shorter teen appeared behind Ray and Hilary covered her ears again.

"Ahh!" Kenny screamed in retaliation. "What?!"

"You haven't come to check up on my e-Shakespeare… have you?" Tyson cautiously closed one eye, the other squinting in suspicion.

"Of course not!" Kenny looked irritated.

"Oh." Tyson replied and everyone chuckled.

Ray was carrying the bass and sat down on the soft wood floor to set it up. Things were going great. It put excitement in his chest that all these amazing people had come together just because of him and that feeling began to bubble over each time they practiced.

Tyson wasn't sure how his gramps would feel coming home to a bunch of instruments going full blast in the practice room but he was sure they'd find out since it was getting close to the time he invaded the dojo to do who-knew-what.

"So…" Tyson started off articulately and then he muttered the rest. "I'mgonnaaskKaitobeintheband."

Everyone stared at him.

"What was that?" Ray asked.

"I SAID, I'm gonna recruit a new member…" The guitarist explained and then began to play through his practice notes fervently.

Interested, the group crowded around and Max took away Tyson's music pages.

"Who is it?" Kenny asked.

Ray nodded. "Is it another guitarist?"

Max and Hilary's curious expressions slammed shut and they looked at each other in a terrifying mirror image of comprehension.

"He wouldn't…" The blond started and the brunette finished, "He would!"

Tyson scratched his head. "Yeah, um, well it's Kai!" He grinned and then looked confused. "You mean you two knew he played guitar and didn't TELL me?"

Max smacked his face. "I knew this would happen but I liked pretending it wouldn't!"

Ray and Kenny just looked even more confused though weary about having to take part in solving the notoriously rotten Hiwatari Mystery.

"Kai was in the school band back when we were freshmen. I don't know if he was forced into it or what, but he always hated being there. It's how he and Carlos became friends and their little gang got started." Hilary lectured, leaning on the music stand. "We've never had a guitarist since."

"They did love their hate." Max said, rubbing the side of his arm in remembrance. "Do you know how many times Carlos poked me when I got his position as first drummer?" He shuddered. "He sat behind me everyday to do it!"

Hilary patted his back, like this was a longtime suffering they comforted each other on.

Kenny had flipped open a laptop and was clacking away. "Well, according to my pie-chart Tyson, your chances of Kai joining are pretty much nil."

Tyson's eyes bugged out and he peered at the screen, wondering if the Chief had managed to pull that together just now to make his plan seem even more daunting in visual format.

"Yeah…" Ray pondered, eyes toward the ceiling. "Somehow Kai doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to jump at every whim and fancy no matter how fun you make it sound." He hefted the bass with a grin. "And it is! I guess, to agree, it would have be on his own terms."

"Hmm… on his own terms." Tyson said in an ominous tone, and the resulting smile on his face made the others step back in fear.

"What's with that face?" Max said with dread.

"Tyson you look evil!" Kenny complained, and Tyson wiped it off with a laugh, holding the back of his head.

"Okay everyone," Hilary clapped her hands loudly. "Back to work!"

And then Grandpa Granger walked into the room with just a tiny towel and sandals on, effectively scarring them all for life. The old-timer yelled up a storm, whipping out his kendo stick from no where making everyone scream in terror. His towel dropped around his ankles.

"Er…" Tyson was blushing, badly. Only family could do such horror. He hung his head.

"Everyone, meet my Gramps. Gramps… um, meet the band."

* * *

The next chance he got was the following Wednesday after a particularly nasty gym day. Coach Clef had made them run laps, running out of things for them to do before they switched units to track and field. Tyson was a little sweaty and had to wait twice as long for Kai to finish his customary after-gym shower to follow him home.

A lamp in the little shack in the back of the Hiwatari residence flicked on.

Kai's eyes looked silver in the sudden light and it was as good a time as any to ask.

"So, do you wanna be in my band?"

Kai turned slowly, an almost sinister look in his now normal auburn eyes. "What?"

Tyson stepped forward in conviction, toeing off his shoes in the process. "If I win a beybattle against you, will you join my band?"

The other teen stared at him for an eternally frustrating minute before smirking and a terrible "Ha!" escaped his lips. "Are you serious?"

"Yes…" Tyson said stubbornly. He raised Dragoon in preparation and Kai gave him a considering glance before turning his back and flicking on the rest of the lights.

They set up over the beydish. "Alright." Kai shrugged and Tyson blanched, unprepared for the approval.

"You WILL?" He said with glee.

Kai snorted. "You have to beat me first."

And that's how it started. The end of it all.

* * *

Tyson knew it would have to happen sometime. Kai wasn't invincible, and with spinning tops there was bound to be that one time his would prevail. It was, of course, only a matter of time. It was just too bad he couldn't jump out from behind a locker at Kai in the hallway at school or something, he would have had the element of surprise for sure. Walking into the shack was starting to feel like a planned execution each time they bladed, he'd lost count how many times he'd lost miserably.

It was cold in the shack and Tyson had to ball his fists up tightly so he wouldn't feel the burning of frostbite settling in. He found it hard to believe Kai used this place in the winter, as it was getting deep into November now. Maybe this was just cruel and unusual punishment.

Kai yelled out his blade's name, arm shooting out as if to attack. His hand was as steady as ever, as if he was used to the frigid temperature. Unlike Tyson, he didn't bother to wear a jacket or winter hat.

Dranzer jammed against Dragoon and then there was a horrible grind as the blades dug a massive trench deep into the beydish.

The damage wasn't pretty when Kai knelt down to survey it.

Tyson cursed. "Do you have another?" He'd been so close!

Kai looked torn, as if he was making a big mistake but doing it anyway for the love of his hobby.

"Yeah…" He said quietly and then grabbed up the beyblades, tossing Dragoon to the guitarist.

"We'll have to go up to the house." His eyes were anything but cold, alive with the thrill of battle, and the guitarist shivered.

Tyson's mouth became a little 'o', and he cupped his freezing hands around Dragoon as if it could give him warmth. A house sounded really, really good right about now. He didn't dwell on the fact that the dual-haired teen was checking the clock, making sure the coast would be clear.

Tyson had learnt on one failed attempt to beat Kai why all the Beyblade stuff was kept in the shack.

His gramps hated it with a passion.

The pony-tailed teen had never seen this supposed family member. In fact, as they walked through the back door into a gleaming seashell coloured kitchen, he didn't see _anyone_ in the gorgeous home. It was like a ghost house and Tyson was jumpy following the older teen, waiting for an old corpse to drop down on him from an unknown crawl space. It was kind of funny, Kai's glorified rec room looked more the part to be haunted but Tyson found it inviting now. Maybe that was just because it was only there that Kai let loose half smiles at him over a beybattle. He didn't think too much on that.

Kai shucked off his steel-toed boots by the front doors in the foyer and Tyson hastily did the same. Whoever cleaned this place would probably have their heads. It was all white and creams and the carpet was plush under his feet going up the stairs.

"So my birthday is coming up." Tyson offered. Suddenly a little nervous, he rubbed his elbow. Where were they going? "You're invited, I'm having a huge party!"

"Really." Kai said and he opened his bedroom's door.

It was sparse and spotless, like the rest of the house. There was a much nicer desk than what was in his shack and the bed looked like it could induce dreams by just touching it.

Kai stood up on his desk chair and opened a cupboard that lined the ceiling. He pulled out one of those portable plastic beydishes and blew it in harshly. A cloud of dust rose up and caught him in the face making him sneeze.

Tyson smiled. Now in the room, it was way too warm for his winter garments and sweater. He immediately chucked his toque and peeled the offending overstuffed jacket off. His worn red t-shirt got caught with the sweater, a gift from his gramps, as he pulled it over his head.

"Oops," The pony-tailed blader fumbled and pulled it back down. Kai was looking at him strange but it turned into a glare worthy of Coach Clef as he threw the dish down on the floor.

"Let's go." He said stonily and Tyson set up.

In the end it was probably the change in scenery that cinched the win for him. Kai's blade seemed more off balance, or maybe it was Kai who was. It could have been the new dish, or the fact that it was the perfect temperature to battle at. The clock in the hallway struck five and Kai's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"DRANZ—"

But this time Tyson was a little faster, his hands twisting down in a motion. "Dragoon, go!!" And Kai's blade spun straight out of the dish. Okay, so that had been a fluke, his blade didn't even hit Kai's or contribute to the victory but Tyson didn't care. When playing Beyblade, little details like physics were kind of ignored in favour of being able to gloat.

"YES!" Tyson cheered madly. "I WON!! That means you're mine Kai!" He cackled with glee, leaning against the wall to balance himself.

The dual haired teen was staring at him like he couldn't believe it.

"Alright, you _did_ win." Kai was at his throat, he had a terribly competitive look on his face. "But it's your LAST. You're _**mine**__._"

Tyson blinked in surprise.

Suddenly Kai started to laugh and it was as insane sounding as Tyson imagined it would be.

"I've been looking for someone to enter the Beyblading tournament with. They only let you sign up in pairs and make no mistake," He said quietly, wicked grin plastered on his face. It made the shark fin triangles on his cheeks curve downward into feral markings, like battle marks. "You still need a lot of work, but that's fine. The next tournament isn't until next summer."

Tyson stood there, mouth and eyes agape.

"We start training next week."

Kai had his hands on either of the shorter teen's shoulders in excitement or intimidation and suddenly Tyson became aware of it, like being burnt with a red hot poker. His blue eyes darted all around Kai's face, it could have been so handsome if he didn't scowl so much, but right now it was just…

Completely branded, Tyson reached up and held Kai's wrists gently, making the dual-haired teen frown.

"And what if I say no?" Tyson asked.

There was a sudden cold silence before Kai's hold turned into a fury of fists on either side of his head against the wall.

"No one refuses me." Kai exclaimed in nothing short of a snarl. The pony-tailed teen bit his lip, feeling the furious puffs of Kai's breath hit his face.

"Is that why you beat up Andrew?" His eyes locked with Kai's. It had all clicked into place.

There was a moment where they just stared at each other before the other's voice said quietly, "So?"

Tyson exhaled, it ruffled Kai's bangs a bit and the dual-haired teen looked like he was going to have an aneurism, his pulse was throbbing hard through his hand on Tyson's arm.

"You're way too passionate about it." The pony-tailed teen stated finally. A piece of hair fell into his eye and he shook his head to be rid of it.

Kai swallowed, looking away. "You can't control what you're passionate about."

"No," Tyson squinted softly, as if seeing something he'd never noticed before. "I guess not." He leaned close with a mischievous expression, his nose hitting Kai's before the other teen jetted backwards. "I like that about you." Tyson bit his lip, the edges of his mouth upturned in a grin.

Kai was wary, glaring for no apparent reason. He was always glaring though, so Tyson wasn't deterred.

"Do you always get so up close and personal when you're angry?" The tone was joking, but sincere, and Tyson's hand reached up to hold Kai's cheek.

The taller teen flinched away. The back of his knees hit the side of his bed and Kai was probably wishing he had his boots on so he could crucify Tyson's foot.

Tyson wouldn't back down though, and followed through, his hands gently taking grip of Kai's t-shirt. Effectively trapped, Kai flexed and un-flexed his sweaty hands.

The guitarist tilted his head back, looking into those crimson eyes. "Or is it just when you're passionate?" He whispered.

This was getting way too close for comfort. This wasn't just _friendly_ anymore.

A great shuddering breath escaped Kai's lips. He was embarrassed, it was obvious. His heart was beating miles a minute under Tyson's gentle grip.

The dual-haired teen caught his breath, feeling the throb of his blood right at his temple. It drowned out any background noise. Almost too violently, Kai pushed Tyson away. The kid stumbled back and tripped over his own feet, it was pretty funny but Kai was not in a laughing mood.

"Geeze! Are you trying to kill me?" Tyson asked angrily. He steadied himself against the sofa chair and stalked right back up to the other.

"You should leave." Kai's long bangs were covering his eyes, hiding whatever emotion he was shaking with.

"No."

Kai's teeth clenched so hard it was a wonder he didn't chip a tooth. "**Leave.**"

Tyson didn't have to be told again. His arms went around Kai's middle like a vice, pressing them together so suddenly the taller teen nearly clunked heads with him. Tyson gripped him so hard his nails went into Kai's back.

The dual-haired blader froze. Tyson was so close; there wasn't anywhere that wasn't touching. The look in the blue eyes in front of him was dark and determined. It was…

"I'll do whatever I want." Tyson said with his lower lip jutting out, his jaw was clenched with something unrestrained. His nails went deeper as his lips overtook Kai's, kissing him hard. Their noses jabbed each other but Kai couldn't fathom trying to get out of it. Tyson breathed in through his nose deeply, Kai could feel the air drag across his top lip.

What the hell was Tyson—

His hands went to Tyson's hips and he shoved but it didn't work when he felt the other teen's mouth open against his. He opened his eyes, hadn't even realized they'd closed, and saw straight into Tyson's.

Almost unconsciously Kai's lips parted, his jaw just wanted to drop at the entire situation. Tyson seemed to notice and tilted his head slowly, making sure Kai watched and knew. His hands dragged up to Kai's shoulder blades, holding him easier against his own chest. Tyson closed his eyes, kissing the frozen teen again.

Kai flexed his hands, finding them still on the other's hips, his touch was feather light. He couldn't stop blinking, trying to glare at something but not being able to focus on anything. The long-haired teen's knee went onto the bed and slowly he coaxed Kai to sit down.

Yeah, he really needed to sit down.

Tyson's tongue slipped between his shocked lips and ran a poisonous line down the roof of his mouth. A sound erupted in the back of Tyson's throat, kind of like after tasting something really good. It was some long forgotten candy or chocolate, maybe from Hallowe'en. The thought of Kai trick or treating made him grin into the kiss. It was all about the tricks.

His hand went to the back of Kai's dark hair, pulling down until the blader was forced to lie back. It was weird, his bed's covers had never felt so soft. The guitarist's other hand went to his cheek, holding his face almost tenderly while he stroked Kai's tongue with his own, licking deep inside.

Kai gasped for air, but Tyson just held him so that he kept his jaw open. The kiss was so deep Kai had no where to go and he was forced to invade the other's mouth as well. He gave a strangled moan; the blader could feel his blood begin to pound everywhere at once and his simple t-shirt felt like an oven. Tyson's knees on either side of his thighs were an unthinkable presence. The younger teen sucked very slowly, both hands going to grip the bed sheets on either side of Kai's head.

Oh that was it.

The dual-haired teen gripped Tyson's waist tightly and rolled them over. Breaking the kiss, he slammed Tyson as hard as he could to the bed.

Stunned, Tyson could only blink rapidly, out of breath, as Kai grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him up. He was nearly choked by his own collar because Kai pulled him so hard across the room and through the hallway.

"Hey—Kai! Stop!" Tyson's voice was hoarse from the kiss, and it served to make Kai angrier than ever. He propelled the other boy down the stairway, the only thing keeping him from falling and breaking his neck was Kai's steel-like grip.

"What's the **matter** with you?! Let me go!" Tyson yelled and was thrown against the front door. He held his shoulder in pain. "What the hell, Kai…"

And Kai was in his face, nailing him to the door with his hard grip and the murderous look in his eyes.

"**Good. Bye.**" He spat, and Tyson was literally thrown out.

The next day, Kai didn't go to school. But that was because it was a Saturday.

* * *

Tyson sat around feeling very sick for most of the morning while he crunched on his cereal and watched his cartoons.

"Why, T-man! You're up early." Grandpa Granger was happily surprised. Tyson had said he was going over to a friend's house again. He'd been doing it for a while now. The elder man put his bokken on the kitchen counter, scheming to see if he could sucker his grandson into some kendo practice.

"Went to bed early," Tyson garbled around his cocoa puffs. He sniffed.

"Thought you had a dateroo." Gramps jeered cheerfully. Oh how he missed poking fun in youngins' lives! He popped a piece of bread in the toaster.

Tyson managed to tear his eyes away from the TV at that. His gramps _probably_ wouldn't like details. "It ended early."

"**That's** good to hear." The older man laughed good-naturedly. "In fact, that's **great!** No need for you to go around corrupting any of the nice girls here in Bay City."

The teen snorted.

"Don't knock it!" Gramps lectured, giving him a warning eye. "A sweet girl is what you need to help you settle down. Sure, you gotta party hard since you're a rock star and all," He said thoughtfully, "but ya gotta have discipline too!"

"Isn't that what kendo's for?" Tyson replied lazily. "Don't need a girl for that."

"Kendo's right!" Gramps yelled with conviction. "So how about we hit the dojo!"

"Uuuuh," the thought of doing the exercise right after he'd eaten two bowls of cereal and lazed around didn't seem appealing at all. "Maybe later… I gotta go." He jumped up, dusting crumbs off his shirt.

The old man eyed him suspiciously. "Where? You're still in your jammies!" They were a too-large for him baggy sweatshirt that said BBA and his boxers but Tyson didn't correct him.

"Yeah, I, uh" He scratched the back of his neck, "have to go out and get the band together for practice."

In all honesty, he did have to gather the guys, but he also had a major bruise on his shoulder from where Kai had manhandled him thoroughly. Not to mention a serious case of the sniffles because Kai had made him ride back home without his winter clothes even after he had banged on the door forever.

"Hey, T-man, your birthday is coming up fast! We should start planning that right?" The old man raved, a jolly gleam in his eyes.

That's right, he wondered if Kai would still come. He wondered if Kai would still help with the **band**. Suddenly feeling a great amount of conviction, Tyson started changing in the hallway, in a rush to get band practice underway.

"Give me a name list," His gramps said from the other room. "I can have that one dude down at the bingo make awesome invites!"

* * *

Great, he'd come all this way and not one person was answering the door. Kai's house was huge, he found it hard to believe it was always as empty as it seemed when he'd visited. He rang it again. It was already late and he was dead tired from running errands that he'd put off for way too long. Turned out Max was busy and Ray had been no where to be found, so he had given up on practice and instead had gone to the mall to escape going back home and be forced to finish his homework.

The doorbell went unanswered.

Tyson groaned and scuffed his foot on the doormat before hopping off the porch stairs. He walked along the sidewalk wishing he'd brought his mp3 player or something.

'_Guess he really does hate me,'_ Tyson frowned in confusion. The streetlights pretended they were stars, the only points of light in the darkness of the night.

It was cold, and Tyson pulled his new coat and hat tighter around himself.

He could have sworn he hadn't been wrong about Kai though. But that wasn't the same as being right.

* * *

"Hilary, do a guy a favour?" Tyson pleaded. He batted his eyelashes for effect. The classroom was hardly the place for charming someone but desperate times called for desperate measures.

The girl turned with a strict frown. "NO, Tyson. Didn't anyone teach you to do your own homework?"

Tyson slumped and buried his face in the top of his desk. "Aaargh…."

"Serves you right." Her prim attitude made Tyson stick his tongue out at her when she had turned back around.

Max smiled in sympathy. "Why didn't you finish?"

The baseball capped teen rolled his head to look at Max and sighed. "Didn't feel like it."

The blonde frowned at that, his hand mindlessly tapping the drumstick against his orange binder. "That's not a very good excuse, ya know."

"Fine," Tyson twisted up his mouth. "If you must know, I was at Kai's last night."

Hilary whipped around at that, the girl she sat next to doing the same. In fact, the little circle of people that managed to hear his admission were all staring at him. Their ears became glued for details.

"You were **where?**" One of the girls all but screamed.

Tyson looked at them with comically big eyes. He burst out laughing. "What's the big deal? He didn't even open the door."

"I thought he told you flat out no about being in the band." Max said helplessly. Why didn't the new kid listen when he said not to push the resident bad guy?

"It wasn't anything about the band."

That threw his little audience for a loop, but before they could question him on it their timid English teacher walked in. They listened to her introduce an essay and the components of how to write one for a mind numbing forty minutes before she handed out some papers.

"Okay, work with a partner to pick out the thesis and arguments of this essay." Mrs. Staccato said cheerfully. "Don't worry, it's short!" Yeah, it was ten pages, that was short alright.

Max handed a worksheet to his desk mate but was alarmed and disappointed to see him looking straight at Kai and another guy named Billy, who'd walked in with forms of some kind. Maybe they were university forms or something, who knew what the grade 12s did.

Tyson couldn't believe his luck, and whistled. "Hey Kai!"

At the call, the tall teen whipped his head around, a fierce expression on his face.

Tyson gave him a lopsided smile and waved. Kai's baleful attention on him, the blue haired teen puckered up and blew him a kiss with a loud smack.

Kai became an ugly shade of red and he slammed his form down so loudly that those who weren't staring at their little exchange looked his way, silent in fear.

He glared and knocked Billy out of the way with his shoulder and was out the heavy metal door without a sound.

The teacher was shiftily looking anywhere but the door. It was obvious she was afraid of Kai and his punk reputation.

Tyson looked unhappy but not shocked when he said to Max, "partners?"

The blond nodded wearily, and they got to work.

After they'd all presented their findings, Mrs. Staccato resumed the lesson. No one was brave or dumb enough to start mentioning the Hiwatari Mystery, and Tyson got detention for not doing his homework.

* * *

"Tyson did you do something to Kai?" The tone was carefree but Max had a stern look on his face like he was trying to get to the bottom of a mystery. He'd just come back from class half so maybe the sourpuss mystery had talked?

"What?!" Tyson clammed up immediately then smiled to cover it up. "I mean… er.."

"You did! I knew it!" Max shook a drumstick at him. "C'mon, spill. Why are you bothering him?"

"Shouldn't you be asking the opposite…?" The guitarist mumbled to himself. He slammed his locker close.

"What was that?" Max asked and didn't bother to wait for a reply. "Listen Tyson," They walked along the lockers and out the side doors to the bike rack. "Don't keep asking him to join the band. That's just gonna push him farther and farther away."

Tyson pursed his lips, not wanting to look at the blond he sat on the ground and took his sweet time to undo his bike lock.

"I know you want to be friends, or something, with him, but pestering him whenever you see him isn't gonna help the problem."

"Whatever." Tyson blew out a breath.

"Seriously!" The other teen said. He shook his blond head a little with a fond smile creeping up his mouth. "I'm meeting Hil at the bus stop, I'm gonna be her guinea pig for her new debate topic." He turned a little pale, his freckles standing out starkly.

"It's about vegetarians and meat-is-murder. I'm afraid by the end of it I won't be able to eat meat ever again. And I have to eat meat Tyson." He said more urgently as the guitarist stood up and brushed off the dirt from his jean-clad knees. One of them was torn.

"Ray made me a beef burger at the restaurant yesterday, and it was too good to give up!" Max finished and Tyson blinked.

"So that's where you two were! I came by your place you know!!" He told the drummer.

Max looked sheepish. "Yeah well, where were YOU? At Kai's."

Tyson cut his eyes to the side, and then laughed, pushing the drummer in the other direction.

"Have fun on your house date with Hilary then."

Max scowled but then brushed it off with a chuckle, walking backwards. "Do me a favour, don't look behind you!"

But Tyson did and there was Kai, trudging along the school fence that separated the sports field and the parking lot. He looked back over his shoulder and Max was long gone, he should've known the blond was too good-natured to stop the hunt. He locked his bike back up.

Stalking time.

* * *

"Tyson," Kai turned fiercely, a sharp look in his eye. The persistent teen had to backpedal to avoid smashing straight into him. Of course, Tyson never claimed to have been the best stalker.

"Yeees?" He adjusted his hold on his backpack and Kai leaned in further, obviously feeling the extreme need to intimidate. Tyson's eyebrows rose as he leaned against the chain-link fence behind him. He wondered if he could pull that Snickers out of Kai's pocket without getting beaten up for it. Didn't look like he was going anywhere for a while.

"Why don't you just save yourself the trouble and: Tell. Me. What. You. Want." The words were spit so forcibly Tyson couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"Hey, say it- don't spray it!"

If Kai's eyes weren't naturally that reddish colour it would have been a sure sign that he was ready for carnage. All the wannabe rock star had to go on, however, was the pissed off tick in the other teen's eyebrows. In fact… He squinted, imagining that those two offending brows were angry beavers gnawing at the huge crease between them.

"I mean it Tyson." The eyebrows said to him and Tyson grinned cockily.

"I'm coming over again, don't you wanna Beyblade?"

At the mention of his hobby, Kai seemed to become even more agitated than before (if that was possible) and he ran a hand through those grayish bangs of his.

"No."

"You sure?"

The tilt of Tyson's head, and the way his eyes shone with that stupid attitude made Kai's beavers scream 'timber!' as his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"**Don't.**"

"Don't what?" He replied. Kai was way too high strung today. Sure the Biology test had been bad, but Kai didn't take Biology, so he had absolutely no reason to be messed up. Tyson quirked his mouth, tasting the sourness of the big F he knew was coming his way.

The dual-haired blader didn't answer, he just glared the hell out of his… Well, who knew what to call Tyson.

"Afraid I'll beat you again?" Tyson hedged on, matching the stare. He blindly reached for that chocolate bar.

Kai caught his wrist, held it tightly, and looked almost startled to be doing so. He looked back up and his face was unreadable. "You can't hold a candle to me."

"Sure I could," he grinned madly, wiggling his fingers on the hand Kai's Jaws of Life managed to capture. "If I had a candle and my hand back, yeah."

"Be **serious.**" Kai hissed, and gripped the wrist even tighter, pushing it into the fence hard. Tyson winced and dug his worn down sneaker into the gravelly dirt. Was this about..? Nah, surely Kai wasn't _this _messed up over…

This was getting painful, and Kai's face all up in his was a pain too, so Tyson relented.

"I'm sorry."

The apology threw Kai for a loop and he looked momentarily derailed from his insanity track.

"I didn't know you'd never been kissed before. Next time I'll do it better," Tyson's face was so smug that, somewhere, Hilary felt a crawl go down her back and had the need to bitch for no apparent reason. He lifted his eyebrows to look sincere.

"I promise."

The look on Kai's face was priceless.

"**You-**" He stopped, furious. His mouth was moving but the anger had seemed to plug his throat.

Hey, the guitarist figured that he'd screwed up with Kai so badly might as well go the full nine yards.

"Wanna go at it now?" He puckered up and made a loud smacking sound so close to Kai that he almost got him on the nose.

Kai flinched and his eyes looked like they'd pop. He let go of Tyson's wrist and grabbed the front of his sweater, slamming him into the fence with an enormous rattle.

His voice was alarmingly quiet when he spoke. "You know, for a moment I thought you really were different. But now, it's so obvious. You're the king of them all." His nostrils flared. "I'm not your servant, I won't play to you."

Tyson swallowed carefully. It was hard when there were two fists clamping down on the front of his shirt but he did his best.

Seeing that the shorter teen wasn't going to open his obnoxious mouth, Kai dropped him and turned immediately, stalking away with clenched fists. When it was kings versus kings, it usually meant war.

The baseball-capped teen let his bag slip off his shoulder and slumped against the fence. He exhaled slowly once Kai had rounded the corner, then swung around and punched the fence with a loud growl of anger. The fence reverberated at the attack, rattling in its weak links. Tyson punched it again, satisfied to see it sway and generally cause a huge racket.

There was one thing true about Tyson Granger. He never did anything half-heartedly.

But he also never gave up.

* * *

End Track

**Author's Notes:** Sorry this chapter took so long! The next will take a while too because they are getting a bit more complicated and I've got essays to write too! Still, reviews will make me go a bit faster. :D

**Disclaimer:** Beyblade and all its likeness does not belong to me.


	5. A Crowning Achievement

**Tyson to a Different Tune**

**Track ****5  
**A Crowning Achievement

* * *

The wail of the guitar had always been dark and seductive. Its weight on him was a familiar one, keeping him bound to this place between fantasy and reality that only music could create. It was amazing. It was the best feeling in the world.

Each chord struck was a strike to him too, pulling everyone's hearts into the music.

"_Look up, the stars are fading and I am still here waiting too see you again, and be __with you my friend…"_ Tyson sang.

The words flowed easier, matching his already smooth fingering on the strings. _"'Cause all the roads they lead to where you are,"_ he closed his eyes imagining it. _"And all the streetlights shine like they were stars. That's where you are…"_

Max and Ray had stopped playing ages ago; now along with Hil and Kenny they were watching him go solo with appreciative smiles on their faces.

"_Let's spend tonight on top of the world, 'cause we can do anything, we can be anything."_ Tyson strummed faster, grinning wide. _"As real as it seems, you're only in my dreams…."_

He stopped playing suddenly, a weird twang coming from an out of place note struck in his haste.

"That rocked." Tyson breathed out, glowing.

"You guys might just have a chance at winning after all." Hilary said, impressed. The others agreed and Max beat out an insane solo to end the practice with a bang.

Tyson grinned to himself.

Somehow, kissing Kai had loosened his tongue.

* * *

Kai was avoiding him like the plague as usual.

Tyson decided that he better step back from the mystery for a little while. Sometimes the answer came after a long period of rest, or something. The guitarist couldn't put much thought into it anyway; things had gotten even busier now that the school term had past its halfway mark. The band was turning into his best idea ever.

Ray had picked up the bass basics and was currently practicing his heart out when he wasn't on any computer he could find, checking messages from his family back in China. He seemed excited about something but was never very coherent when typing.

Hilary was away this week on her debate convention or something like that. Tyson didn't get all the details but it was something about different academic clubs having a few days of November to compete at other schools. Lucky geeks, Tyson thought. It figured hard work paid off somehow. No regular boring classes for them!

The Chief had started referring to his band as the rock club, which Tyson didn't know if he liked the sound of but he went along with it. Kenny was steadily morphing into a small tornado with the amount of work and activities he'd been piling up. He kind of hoped the short teen would find some time to unwind.

And speaking of that…

Tyson dug out some envelopes from his backpack and plunked them on the lunch table in front of Max and Kenny.

Max hadn't turned vegetarian after all, which was great because the cafeteria had beef lasagna today and it was fabulous. The blond had confided that he'd stuck small ear buds in and listened to music with a scared expression as Hilary fired off her debate speech. His sneakiness had worked like a charm because apparently Hilary liked inducing fear; she thought the practice had been a tremendous success.

Tyson dug another plastic spoonful up and his lips sealed around it when a satisfied sound. "Read 'em!" He said pointing to the cards with his now orange spoon.

The two teens took up the cards, and Max used his drumstick to rip it open.

"_You are hereby in-diggity-vited to Tyson Granger's seventeenth birthday on Saturday, November…"_ Kenny trailed off, adjusting his glasses. "Ahhh, so this is the party you've been boasting about all year. It's soon!"

"Yup!" Tyson said proudly. "I'm totally stoked."

"Diggity?" Max asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Ah, that would be Gramps' magic touch." The guitarist said and everyone shuddered, remembering the towel incident.

"Well," Max smiled and pocketed the invitation. "Seventeen is one year closer to eighteen after all."

"When's your birthday?" Tyson asked, suddenly curious.

"Oh it's way over." The blond replied good-naturedly. "It was in June."

They turned to the Chief. "Er… I turned sixteen a day before school started." Kenny was tugging at his collar and necktie, suddenly a bright red. "About your party… um…Can we bring dates?"

Tyson blinked then grinned, leaning forward and slapping the table in celebration. "Bring whoever you want. If you get any action at my party I'll be one very happy dude." He smiled indulgently a little to himself. "I wouldn't mind a little action either."

His two friends groaned at the implications and Tyson immediately backtracked. "W-Wait, I didn't mean Kenny get action," he sputtered, "with ME! Sheesh!!" They stared at his unreasonably red face and then they all burst into amiable laughter.

"I'll go and drop of Hil's tonight." Tyson said, wiping a hand over his face to try and rid himself of his flush. He tugged another invite out of his backpack. "Do you think Ray's back from the restaurant yet? Maybe I can catch him in the library on the compuuuter." He crowed, grinning.

He had absolutely no idea how the sporty teen had caught the computer addiction virus but it'd sunk its claws in fast.

"Nope," Max shook his head. "He told me he had to get some scholarship forms signed or something." A visible shiver ran down the blonde's body and his usually genial face turned into a grimace. "He's probably with the Beats."

Kenny sucked in a breath and shook his head. "Oh dear." Tyson didn't get to question though because the bell rang, effectively cutting off their conversation.

"Ah well," Tyson muttered to himself, running off to art class. He'd see Ray there anyway.

As he passed the lockers he reached into his bag with a handful of photocopied flyers of his birthday invites. He smiled and shoved them into each locker, hoping the more adventurous Bay High Bees took the bait.

* * *

The day the track and field unit came was the day Kenny started having a panic attack. The short teen was an absolute mess the whole day, jittery and sweating every time Tyson had a chance to see him.

It seemed everyone knew of the Chief's aversion to track and field and that knowledge had even touched MingMing, who he'd been steadily using Ray's charming techniques on for weeks. She even spent an agonizingly long time putting on lipstick so she could smile at him.

Kenny had nearly fainted when she did.

Already more overworked than should be allowed, Tyson and the rest of the gang helped the teen into the gym, hoping it wouldn't be the brunet's last class.

"He's managed to dodge it every year except this one." Max said with sympathy, patting Kenny's back when the high jump equipment was carried out of the storage rooms.

"I never calculated for this!" Kenny said. He was looking a little less green as the very large and cushy inflatable mat followed the steel bars. "The Comp Sci club always scheduled the week-long convention during Track and Field, but some anime fans took the spot, and there wasn't time to book a new place…"

Tyson started to feel uneasy himself when the hurdles were lugged out by Ray, already looking harassed.

The sound of the whistle blared through everyone's thoughts and conversations. The class lined up along the wall and Coach Clef strutted out in front of them, in rather short shorts for the weather.

"Today you will sweat like you never sweat before!"

A couple guys reapplied their deodorant.

The coach picked up a case of stop watches and jangled them around as if testing their quality by the sound. "Alright! Now first I'm going to break you up into eight teams. Two at a time, teams will go to one of the track or field stations and participate there until everyone in the team has acquired a time or measurement!" He put the whistle to his mouth before deciding against it and continued.

"Once you've completed a station you have to rotate to the next station. By the end of the period you should have your stats for all four activities!"

The class murmured. There were two track and two field sports today: one hundred meter race, two hundred meter hurdles, high jump, and long jump.

"These are our preliminary tests! So if you have a lousy stat, don't worry." The coach grinned. "We'll be doing this all week until you improve your scores. On the last class, best team scores get to choose the theme for the end of the year class-half party!"

"Party?" Tyson asked Ray in a whisper.

The Chinese teen nodded and mouthed back. "Nothing like your birthday, which I'm looking forward to, by the way. Both class halves get together and chill since by that time we'll have run out of course work…" There was only so much they could learn about gym-related jobs and healthy lifestyles. Apparently the Clef liked to spend this much-needed year-end break to do crosswords in the teacher's lounge. How exciting.

Clef continued over their conversation. "Best two stats in each event at the end of the week will come with Sharp and I to the Regionals on the weekend. It's a lot of fun!" He blew the whistle.

"Now, teams!" He yelled out and licked the tip of his pencil before marking off names on his attendance sheet.

Kenny was wringing his hands and the people placed on his team groaned. All the teams seemed evenly distributed though and Tyson grinned at the others on his, team two. Carlos was in it and giving him the evil eye.

"I know what you did last week!" He said sourly as they trudged outside into the freezing air. They could see some girls in their uniforms huddling together while Ms. Sharp handed out stop watches to each of their teams.

"The Boss isn't very happy with you!" The bandana wearing teen grit out.

Tyson frowned. "I kind of got that." He kicked an errant pop can on the grass. Looks like group two would be doing long jump against team six first. "Tell him to give me my stuff back!"

"What stuff?" Carlos asked and then shook his head. "I meant the," he looked around suspiciously and hissed, "The beyblade tournament!"

Tyson looked at him dumbly.

"You have to say yes!" Carlos urged. They watched a member of team six face-plant in the cold sand pit and cringed in sympathy. There would be a lot of that today. The ground was frozen stiff and the air crisp and cutting to run against.

"You can't breathe a word about this – he's been gunning to ask you for a while! Do you know how much we had to hear about it? It was annoying but at least he was in a good mood. He didn't need to eat candy for days! It was sickening!!"

The guitarist stared, not really sure if he should believe this.

Soon they were done the first activity and walked over to the track where he saw Kenny bent over and wheezing.

"Chief!" He patted the shorter teen on the back. "You okay?"

Kenny gulped and nodded. "Man was not made to do the hurdles. Have you seen them?! They're as tall as me!" Needless to say they did look dangerous. Kenny left with his team to the field.

Group eight walked up with Coach Clef. Of course, Kai was on this team, what with the eagle eye the coach was watching him with. Carlos immediately went over and starting talking to his boss in low tones. Max was on team eight as well and he waved at Tyson, his bright blond hair looking a little like white gold in the overcast sky.

"Okay! We'll do this in heats of two at a time. Team two and eight, get on the track!" He blew the offending whistle. It was even shriller in the sharp November air.

Tyson shook his legs out and eyed the hurdles nervously. Kai was already on the track and no one seemed willing to be beat to a pulp by the muscled teen. Carlos of course shoved Tyson onto the second lane.

"Alright, Hiwatari vs. Granger then." The Clef set his stop watch and raised his hand.

"On your marks!"

"Kai," Tyson said low on his breath. The other did not spare him a glance, focused on the stretch of track in front of him.

"Kai, if I say yes," The teen asked and his dual-haired opponent's eyes cut to him.

"Geeeeeeeet set!" Clef crowed.

Red and blue eyes met, brilliant in the grey weather. Tyson blew him a kiss.

"GO!" Everyone cheered and they ran.

Kai was faster and Tyson watched him pump his legs and then he was flying over the first hurdle and the second and then he looked over his shoulder with a hint of a smirk or a smile or _something_ and…

Tyson ran headlong into a hurdle and face-planted into the smoky smelling track.

He rolled onto his back and thought his ears were ringing but it just turned out to be Coach Clef blowing that whistle so hard his face was maroon.

"Hiwatari!!" He shouted, suddenly on fire as Kai crossed the finish line down the track leaving Tyson in the dust. "Look at this!" He tutted and blew out a breath at the rumpled sad looking hurdle victim.

Everyone had crowded around.

Max looked at him with a sorry smile. "That was better than when Chief wiped out!"

Tyson groaned and closed his eyes. There was a stinging pain in his knee and Coach was writing down an impressive time next to Kai's name and an incomplete next to his.

The winner came around looking out of breath but in high spirits until Coach Clef ordered, "Take him to the lockers to get that washed up." He pointed to Tyson's banged up knee with his pencil.

Kai just snorted.

Max helped Tyson to his feet. "Uh, sir, do you think that's a good ide—ack!" Max choked on his sudden pain, being poked in the side by Carlos.

"On the track!" The Cleftor announced to the rest of the students and the two drummers were made to go fix the upended hurdles for the next race.

Tyson looked at Kai and Kai led the way.

* * *

"I've been waiting for you to pull a stupid stunt like this." Kai's voice was clear, certain, as he ran the tap near the showers of the locker room, a rag underneath the hot water.

"Awww," Tyson smiled kindly. "All you had to do was ask!" The rag was unceremoniously flung at him but he caught it and put it on his knee. It stung even worse and he hissed. Stupid hurdles!

Kai was silent and staring at him then, his dark red eyes now light, almost pink in the florescent light bouncing off the white flooring. Tyson realized why the Coach was so hard on Kai; he was one of the best things about Bay High and no one else knew it.

"You're pathetic."

Too bad his attitude left a bit to be desired. Tyson sighed and threw the rag on the floor.

"You won, congrats." He smiled crookedly. "You'll go to Regionals at this rate, good luck."

"Hmpf," Kai crossed his arms tightly and turned to leave. "I don't need luck."

"Oh?" Tyson intoned. Hopping up from the bench, he tried to ignore the way his knee creaked painfully. "What, you don't like kisses for good luck?" The pony-tailed teen puckered up and smacked the air, his sneaky grin overtaking his face.

Kai turned on his heel immediately, his hands already in fists.

"Don't go there."

"What about for the Beyblade tournament?" Tyson asked again, acting too casual now, walking around the bench toward the older teen.

Kai bared his teeth in full out rage.

"What, have you changed your tune?" He asked, voice sharp and low. "Is that a yes?"

"No." Tyson shrugged his shoulders. He leant against his hideous dark pink locker near the other, eyes cast to the ground.

Kai slammed a fist next to his head against the locker and then he was looming over Tyson, breathing harsh. There was a drip-drip-drip of a leaking tap in the showers somewhere but he couldn't hear it. All he could think about was…

"Kiss and make up?" Tyson asked breathlessly and Kai glared at him.

He couldn't take it anymore; Tyson grabbed Kai by the collar of his t-shirt with all his might, and kissed him. Kai growled in the back of his throat and Tyson could feel his hands squeeze his shoulders painfully. He bit Kai's bottom lip and _pulled_ making the other teen gasp at the sting. The back of his head hit the locker, but it didn't matter.

The look in Kai's eyes said it all.

There was a moment of pure unadulterated silence before Kai kissed him back with fire.

The celebration in his head was cut short though, when he was shoved even harder into the locker (it was looking more and more likely that his locker was going to have a huge Tyson-shaped dent in it by the end of this incident, with this pushing-Tyson-into-hard-objects thing Kai liked to do).

Almost as forcibly as it started, Kai broke the kiss, his lip free from Tyson's teeth. His hair was hanging all in his face making him look really deranged. Then he did the most despicable thing.

The taller teen spit at him, nostrils flared. The offending liquid landed on Tyson's cheek and he saw red.

"Don't even pretend! You **know** you want this." Tyson said loudly, darkly. And he clawed the back of Kai's head, propelling away from the locker and pushing another kiss onto him. He didn't get far; it was like kissing a brick wall. Kai was so stiff with fury.

The blood in Kai's ears _burned_. He was so angry, so pissed off! The way that Tyson still kissed him, shoved his mouth so recklessly against his, was enough to make him scream. He opened his mouth to bite at him but Tyson just kissed him deeper. The touch of their tongues was electric and Kai couldn't help the groan that escaped him. Why was the new kid so stubborn? He _hated_ it. Tyson wasn't _listening._

Tyson's arms were around his neck now and his thigh was drifting up, rubbing against Kai's hip. Kai immediately pushed the offending thigh back to the desperately abused locker, but somehow his hand failed to pull away. Somehow, his body followed and they were leaning heavily against the poor lockers.

Tyson's tongue did that thing where he traced a line on the roof of his mouth and Kai went _mad_. He slammed his hands on either side of Tyson's head. The clang of the cheap metal was deafening. He ripped his mouth away.

"What-" The dual-haired teen caught his breath. It was so hard to breathe. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He hissed.

Tyson glared. "What's the matter with **you?** Like it that much?" He asked, not caring about the answer. His hands on each painted cheek, he pushed his thumbs down on Kai's chin making him open his mouth wide.

Kai didn't even _wait_ to be invaded this time and smashed his mouth against the other, kissing him like he decided the best way to deal with Tyson was to strangle him inside out. Beat him at his own game. Total success, Tyson felt Kai's tongue curl around his and hands grip his hips like a vice.

Of course, that was the awful moment Coach Clef ran in, blowing his whistle like a lunatic. "Hiwatari, Granger! Where are yo—WHAT! NO FIGHTING! STOP THA—"

There was the matter of tongue, and Tyson's leg trying to hook around Kai's hips, and the generous amount of spit between their mouths that threw the coach for a very long and spinning loop. His face went ghostly pale.

All the poor middle-aged task master managed to do was give one last weak whistle before collapsing in dead faint.

The ambulance was called, and the two teens had been very harassed to do it. The whole class stood outside on the sports field with incredulous looks as their rambunctious coach was carted away.

"This is a miracle!" Kenny cried. The high jump had been conquered.

And it really was. Because now Kai couldn't deny anything and Tyson knew it. In fact, it was a downright disaster.

* * *

They looked like they had been in a fight. And what a fight!

Tyson had scratch marks on his collarbone. He had no idea how they'd gotten there, but it could have been when he'd decided to get a good clump of dark blue hair from the back of Kai's head. But Kai had lots of hair so it wasn't like anyone could really tell.

Kai _was_ sporting a nasty looking lip though.

The trumpets went off in Tyson's head at his crowning achievement whenever he caught Kai lick at it.

Everyone would say, however, that Tyson looked worse, what with being bruised to the max on both shoulders this time. Man Kai had a hell of a grip. There was a bruise on his thigh that made his scratched up knee look good. He vaguely wondered how his gym locker faired.

Kai glared at him through his long bangs from the tweed cushioned chair beside him.

The news that he and Kai had fought would be all over the school by now, it was as good as gold.

Their gym classmates had gotten good looks at them before they'd been dragged off by the guidance counselor from hell, Mr. Beats. (Now it was coincidental that all the teachers in the school had rather music related surnames, but Mr. Beats was not in fact one of them. No, Tyson had figured it out. All the kids at Bay High knew that Beats truly meant _beats_. In that, if he wasn't the guidance counselor, which was a very flimsy title anyway, he would have carried a whip and beaten you with it. He had a very sadistic view of what teenage counseling should be.)

The trumpets were playing as Mr. Beats paced back and forth in front of the two. They were in his office, looking very bedraggled and moody in the otherwise anally pristine room. The school bell rang, signaling the would-be end of their gym class and the last period of the day. Great, this was gonna eat into his sports club time.

The man stopped and leant against his desk with all the authority he could muster and he had quite a bit so it did look kind of impressive. The effect was lost when his very sparse head of hair in a very bad comb over got stirred up into a bad tidal wave looking thing as he stood directly next to the fan.

"So what do you have to say for yourselves?"

Silence met him. Tyson wasn't sure if he should say something or not since he wasn't familiar with the man, so he followed Kai's example. Silence.

"You two obviously were so ferocious to each other that you caused Mr. Clef to need _medical attention_! Now, explain yourselves!"

The two looked at each other and resolutely said nothing.

"Mr. Hiwatari?" Old Beats was looking for a confession for sure but Kai didn't budge. He merely looked moodily away and muttered to himself under his breath.

Beats raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to Tyson.

"Mr. Granger, if this student here has caused you harm and forced you to retaliate in any way—" At that Kai let out a short sarcastic 'HA!' Beats continued, his face slowly turning puce but smiling to try and continue his façade of good intention.

"We _will_ resolve this. Here are two pads of paper. I will leave the room. Please write to me anything that you feel about what has occurred and after twenty minutes I will come back in and we can discuss it separately or together, _depending._" The last word hung in the air, as if bait to make them jump to tell all.

Tyson leisurely took up the materials and Beats watched Kai like he was a god _this_ close away from smiting him, before the teen picked up his pencil and paper pad as well.

"Good, now, begin." Beats gave them one last haunting look before he shut the plain gray door behind him. The industrial blinds swung noisily and Tyson let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Wow, what a character." He joked.

Kai didn't reply. He was staring at his paper, not blinking.

"What should we write?" Tyson wondered out loud. Half-wanting Kai's opinion, half-wanting a reaction of some kind.

"Whatever you want." Kai said in a dark tone and broke the lead of his pencil against his paper when he tried to write. He breathed deeply and threw the crappy thing across the room.

"Geeze," Tyson mumbled under his breath and shifted to get more comfortable. He winced when he hit his bruised thigh against the hard armrest of the chair. He started writing furiously.

Kai tried to ignore it, but he watched the pencil whisking across the page out of the corner of his eye. Anger rose in his chest, for it was obvious Tyson was writing a very detailed note about their encounter. He shifted in his chair so he didn't have to look at that annoying idiot.

If he got kicked out for this his Grandfather would kill him. Could you get expelled for making out? Kai thought about it, licking his lip absentmindedly. Maybe just suspended.

Tyson was still writing when time was up. The tidal wave appeared a second early, his sneaky eyes darting around the room before he walked in fully. The door closed behind him with a resounding 'click.'

"Where's your pencil?" The question snapped like Beats' imaginary whip.

"Broke."

The careless reply sent Beats into a quiet rage. That was one of his pencils, sharpened to perfection. He knew he shouldn't have given it to the little dyed hair punk! His neck cracked with severe tension as he looked at Tyson.

The boy held out his paper and pencil and Beats snatched it up like a lifeline. Finally he could dole out some punishment! His eyes whipped about the page with greed, searching for just the thing he needed to put someone away.

Little phrases from the page ghosted out of his mouth. "…can't deny your eyes… read between the lines…!" He squinted. "Threw me up against the wall and…." His eyes scanned faster and then he ground to a terrible, quiet, halt.

"What… is this?" He was the vilest shade of red Tyson had ever seen. And he loved red!

"Song lyrics." The answer seemed to propel Beats into a whole new level of contempt for their very presence in his sanctuary. Tyson tried to explain, "For the Winter Assembly…"

A bit shakily, Beats placed the paper down on his desk. He closed his eyes, gave a little sigh and crossed his arms, head bowed.

Kai sent a glance to the teen that clearly said 'what the hell?'

Beats silently walked to the door and opened it. He gestured with a hand for them to leave.

The two teens stared at each other with confusion and Mr. Beats pointed so fiercely steam seemed to come out of his ears. Not needing anymore incentive, Tyson and Kai jumped up and were out the door faster than Beat's head could inevitably explode.

* * *

"Woah, talk about anger management issues." Tyson exclaimed in awe. "He's worse than you Kai."

The dual-haired teen was feeling a horrible amount of rage, true to Tyson's observation. Outwardly, he was aloof, uncaring. The icy stare of his eyes pinned the rocker to the spot.

"He's your type then."

Did he hear right?

"Excuse me?" Tyson's tone was incredulous and almost amused.

"Looks like you've got him hooked too, he was blushing so bad." Kai gave him the most wicked grin, very pleased with himself. "And I can guarantee you he'll go farther than me."

Oh he just did not go there. The trumpets were playing, and Tyson could fight dirty if Kai really wanted to go at it again.

"You WOULD know, wouldn't you, Kai? Bet he wants you out of school so bad for a reason!" Oooh that one was good.

A disgusted and outraged expression claimed the other's face. "Wrong! We can't all be slutty boarding school boys!"

"You mean _you're not?_" Tyson's voice had risen to some kind of almost frantic tone. "'Cause, dude, that's exactly my type. It'd explain **why** I bother to like you!"

Kai punched the bulletin board by Tyson's head and a flyer for Chief's E-Shakespeare club fluttered to the ground. "There's nothing for **you** to like."

"Watch it." Tyson smirked. He fingered the hem of Kai's shirt. "You don't wanna get too passionate."

The older teen's fingers were clawing into the quark of the board, gauging it up in his abysmal show of restraint. His voice was low and he wasn't looking anywhere near Tyson anymore. "I think you like a little pain, you sure ask for it."

It was almost true. Antagonizing him was so much easier than saying something nice, because Kai _really_ didn't do nice well and Tyson had to work on his patience, a lot.

"Probably! Since your whole face is a pain!" Tyson blurted in the rudest tone he could muster. It was exceptional.

Kai's expression turned ugly and Tyson figured this was where he'd stalk off into the night like the vampire he was.

Kai did do that but not before blowing him the most horrible looking kiss.

'_He's in deep._' Tyson thought darkly and stomped his way to his regular locker, eager to go home.

* * *

"Why are you so late--WOAH! What in Sam hill happened to you little dude!!"

"Girlfriend." Tyson rattled off aimlessly. Lately it had become his excuse for everything Kai-related. It wasn't his fault his gramps bought it so easily.

Gramps appraised him at that and then chuckled. "She must really like you." The younger man couldn't tell if the old kook was being serious or sarcastic.

"Does she do Kendo?"

Tyson just groaned and didn't bother to reply. He retreated to his room and sunk thankfully into the soft covers of his bed.

Before sleep could claim him and his memory, he carefully wrote out the lyrics from before on his notebook.

He had to hand it to Kai. Not just anyone could spit at him and then suck face right after. The guy was a walking faucet – running hot and cold all over the place.

It would only be a matter of time before he could figure it out.

How to keep Kai turned on, forever.

* * *

End Track

**Author's Notes: **Please review if you like the story, since each chapter is getting harder for me to write!

**Disclaimer:** Beyblade and all its likeness does not belong to me. Song Used: On Top of the World by Boys Like Girls


	6. The Guilty Party

**Tyson to a Different Tune**

**Track 6  
**The Guilty Party

* * *

A few days past, and the regular Bay Bees were happy to see Tyson leaving Kai alone. He did still make those horrible kissing faces though, it had stopped being funny to them ever since that day Clef fainted. He was on a sick leave, but everyone knew he was milking the huge dramatic deal quite a bit since he was getting _paid_ sick leave. The gym class students were happy. For once they could mill about and chat instead of doing laps and being deafened by the high and all-mighty whistle.

Tyson had a spring in his step as the rubber soles of his shoes bounced along the pavement. His gloved hands were holding a couple plastic shopping bags and the wind swirled around his uncovered neck. The strap to his guitar swayed gently and just then, Tyson really thought Bay City was a great place. The best.

He passed the street he knew he'd have to walk down to get to Kai's house and he paused for a second before walking a bit faster, smile frozen in place.

Everyone was looking forward to the winter holidays break in December, right before the winter assembly would occur. Tyson didn't have plans yet, but he'd have to get on his friends' cases for practice even more if they'd go away. His birthday party was tomorrow.

A little sound of _beep beep!_ erupted from Tyson's back jean pocket and he blinked.

The guitarist pulled his cell phone out and noticed it was a text message. It was from Max.

'_Need any help tomorrow for the party? :)' _

Tyson grinned to himself and hit the call button.

"_Hello?"_ Max answered.

"Hey." Tyson said casually and his keys to the main house of the dojo jangled as he took them out of his backpack and opened the door.

"_Ty! So what's the word? Need any help? You kind of ran off after school today."_

"Sorry," The blue-haired teen laughed sheepishly as he threw his crap on the floor near the door and shucked off his shoes. The action made him freeze for just a second and he trudged up the stairs loudly, banging the door to his room open with a little more force than necessary. He had to get it out of his _head._

"I only got home just now. I had to go do some last minute party shopping. Chips, plastic cups, booze, you know, that sort of thing…" He let the phone slip from his ear for a second to pull his shirt off, mussing up his hair.

Max's voice sounded a little nervous when he resumed listening. _"---allowed to do that?"_

The ponytailed teen flopped onto his back on his bed. "What was that Max? Hmm? Can't hear you!" Tyson cackled in humour as he heard the cute blond fumble around for a reply.

He was thrown by Max's next words. _"So…. About Kai."_

Tyson nearly bit his tongue, his eyes darting left and right in case the hot teen would jump out from behind the curtains.

Max continued. _"I know you've kind of been avoiding the topic at school, but well, Tyson, it's just me now. It seems like it's really bothering you and you know we're friends. What really happened? You can tell me."_

"Maxie…" Tyson finally said. "Uhm… it's nothing."

"_Riiiight. C'mon Tyson.__ I tried to tell Coach you and Kai were a bad idea!"_ His voice became hushed. _"People are saying Kai pulled a knife on you and when Coach saw the blood he fainted!"_

"What?!" Tyson cried, sitting up. "That's not it at ALL."

Max sounded skeptical. _"The Cleftor never liked blood too much. He's always been a softy. And you guys beat each other up! I can't believe Beats let you off…"_

Tyson bit his lip and groaned, flopping back. "Max. There _definitely_ wasn't any blood… Lots of spit though."

"_Well that was nasty of him!"_

Yeah... Tyson licked his lips at the memory. Lately he had become addicted to using chapstick whenever he could because of the weather.

Sweet Red Cherry, he wondered if Kai liked that.

He immediately shook the thoughts out of his head. "I gotta go Max. Could you and the rest of the gang maybe swing around by five tomorrow? We can get the place set up and practice a bit. I'm thinking we can open the party with a song…"

"_Wow! Great idea__! I'll do it. But Ty?"_

"Yeah?"

"_Whatever happened with Kai, you should figure it out."_

"Ok, Max. I'll see you tomorrow." Tyson clicked his phone off and tossed it onto his bed covers. He rubbed his hands over his face, scrubbing at the roots of his long bangs.

He rolled onto his chest and breathed deeply into his warm sheets. The air against his back was chill and goose bumps ghosted along his skin in a phantom touch.

Tyson's soft voice filtered out from beneath his pillow of arms.

"_My heart is in two without you, sometimes I don't know what to do and… And I need you tonight. I'll fall asleep and it's alright. Close my eyes and I'll be by your side…__"_

He sang and sang, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

_As real as it seems, you're only in my dream__s._

* * *

Seemed the Bay High Bees weren't interested in random house parties, because it definitely wasn't the whole school that showed up around eight at night when Tyson opened the doors to his house. He left them open.

That was okay though. Ray had brought all his friends from the soccer team and they were loads of fun, even if they all liked to talk about sports a lot.

There were also an interesting high number of girls who had come. Tyson had grinned, hugging each one as they came through the door and wished him happy birthday. Hilary sat in the corner, nursing a drink and grinding her teeth while Max laughed uneasily. She wasn't used to not being the only girl. A few girls she could stand. Twenty girls, giggling and using her friend's birthday party as an excuse to glob on as much makeup as they could, got her downright bitchy.

Around ten, the stream of people arriving slowed to a trickle, so Tyson rounded up the gang and then stood on a chair waving his arms.

"Alright everybody!!" He cheered.

They just kept talking.

"HEY!!" Hilary wailed on everyone, her eye pulsing. "LISTEN UP."

The house got silent.

"Er…" Tyson grinned and rubbed under his nose. "Thanks Hil. Anyway!!" He pumped his fist in the air. "Thanks for coming to my 17th birthday!!!!"

The party-goers erupted in applause and whistles, some of them raising their non-alcoholic drinks (Tyson wasn't _that_ bad after all) in salute.

Someone started to belt out the happy birthday song but Tyson threw up his hands and waved frantically. "Hey! Hey! Save it for now! Since it's my birthday I want one of my wishes to finally come true. I was thinking of singing a little song to all of you awesome people instead!"

Max tapped his drumsticks and Tyson pointed to the hallway. "Follow me everyone, we're gonna play you a song!!!"

This stirred the party into even more commotion and everyone followed Tyson who ran forward through the hallway and down into the dojo. It had been set up as a mini-stage with their equipment on one end and open space with a couple of chairs and a couch on the other.

Tyson grabbed up his microphone and guitar, slinging it around him with practiced ease. Max and Ray slid into position a little less confident than the ponytailed teen who loved every minute of being the center of attention.

Kenny patted Ray on the shoulder as he stooped to fix the amplifier's knobs and dials one last time. Hilary was on the keyboard for now, she'd fill in some harmony they'd missed without a second guitarist. Tyson bit his lip for a brief moment before Max counted them in with the strikes of his drumsticks.

"One, two, ah- one, two, three, four!!"

As soon as the music struck up and guitar chords burst through the dojo Tyson's emotions melted away into one be blur and then it swelled.

"_I want you to want me,__"_ Tyson sang the words clearly but soft, like he was speaking to someone special. _"And I need you to need me."_ He smirked into the mic as some of the girls screamed.

"_I'd love you to love me. And I'm begging you to beg me."_ Tyson closed his eyes, frowning slightly, singing in a slightly lower voice.

It sounded different now, with their friends from school clapping along with smiles on their faces. It was the perfect way to break the band in, Tyson thought, grinning around the words insanely. He looked back at Max and Ray keeping in time with him, supporting him, they were a team.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

The crowd had shouted for seconds but Tyson preferred to leave them hungry for more.

Well, that, and they weren't ready to play any other songs. Ray and Max had looked amazed but drained from the performance; both of them were as much of a perfectionist as Tyson was. He'd make sure they had the best fun they could here. Ray, Max, Hilary and Kenny surprised him though, with striking up a small rendition of happy birthday and everyone sang along.

Lazily, the party made its way back to the main house. But now people were more dispersed, more comfortable in finding nooks and crannies to stuff themselves in to eat, sleep, or make-out in.

Tyson turned his head to look at the Chief suggestively.

"So where's your date?" He asked, slinging an arm around the shorter teen's shoulders.

Kenny turned bright red and sputtered indignantly. "She couldn't make it..."

Tyson let his head roll about, looking around at all the guests. "Yeeeah... Well maybe that's a good thing. If she comes around and sees you with MingMing she'd kill you for sure!!"

"Tyson!!" Hilary chastised as she found a seat next to them on the plush carpet next to the sofa. "Leave him alone. It's not like **you** have a date."

"Hey," Tyson pouted and stared balefully from under his long bangs. "I'm the birthday boy, I have to leave my options open. You never know who'll be in a very **giving** mood!"

Max coughed into his soda at that and rubbed his fizzing nose. Tyson grinned and looked from the blond to the brunette. "I don't see you two with anyone else, did you come together?"

"No!" Max shouted just as Hilary hissed "Yes!"

They blinked then gave each other wary glares at not being on the same wavelength.

Hilary grabbed Max's arm in a tight clutch and they relocated in a corner near the sliding door to the back porch, engaged in a heated conversation under their breaths.

Oops, too soon. Tyson wisely stayed away from this and latched onto Ray.

"Errr, dates aren't important. You're here to celebrate ME, not a date." He laughed and poked Ray in the side. "Right?"

Ray smiled in return. He'd been quiet all night, having been to the regional championships for track and field during the day. Kai had gone too.

"I'm not sure about that… But you know, MingMing really couldn't come. I heard she's gone on winter vacation already."

"Whaaaa?" Tyson exclaimed. "But that starts _next_ week!"

Kenny raced to the rescue. "She's not taking a full course load!!"

"Sheesh, okay." Tyson fended off the lovesick boy. Kenny got so weird when the Juliet to his Romeo was mentioned.

"You guys aren't doing anything for the break are you? We need to get that last minute practicing in before the assembly."

Ray looked uneasy, about to deliver some bad news. "Wellll…."

"Don't tell me," Tyson deadpanned. "This wouldn't happen to be about something in China would it?"

"How'd you know…?" The Chinese teen asked, eyebrows rose.

"I poked around your website history in the library after you were done one day." Tyson was waving his hand dismissingly. "The Chief helped."

Kenny twitched and edged away at Ray's suspicious look. "Ummm more juice for me!!" He jumped up and ran for the refreshments.

"So what's that all about?" Tyson prodded.

Ray sighed and a small smile overcame his face. He leaned back against the sofa and turned his pop can around in his hand. "I'm heading back to China for the first half of the break and then coming back with a friend. Prom's before the assembly."

Tyson cocked his head to one side. "Ahhh, you're bringing back a date for prom. What, Bay High's girls not good enough?" He cackled and elbowed the other in the side.

Ray rolled his eyes. "My friend Mariah is coming over for it, since I'm graduating and all." He sipped at his drink idly.

"Friend?" Hilary questioned, making the two on the couch jump. She had appeared behind them without a sound! "You mean your girlfriend!" She shouted in triumph.

Max had a weird expression on his face and walked around to sit next to Ray on his other side. Tyson wished he really could have bought some booze seeing the usually cheerful blond looking so messed up.

Ray sputtered, a small blush appearing. "No-nothing like that! She's _just_ a friend."

Max smiled and patted the Chinese teen on the shoulder. "She gets excited over these things. It's her projecting you see, she is torn up over the fact she hasn't gotten a date EVER."

Hilary glared at him over Tyson and Ray's heads. "Can it, Tate!"

Wow, now he was really dying to know what they'd talked about but this was his party and he deserved happy and fun friends!

"Prom's nothing special. It's just a dinner and some random dancing, nothing you couldn't do by yourself." Ray said with a small sweatdrop.

"I think we should have a dance contest!" Tyson shouted, jumping up and punching the air. There were already people dancing in the dojo but it was mostly couples now.

"Err…" The raven-haired teen blinked a few times. "I'm definitely out."

Max had a sour look on his face. "No thanks."

Tyson didn't even dare looking at Hil's face, afraid he'd turn to stone. Kenny returned with his drink, saw the disturbed teens and promptly left to the dojo to most likely fiddle with the music list again. After all, he was the DJ. The kid loved to multitask too much.

"Well, **I **know how to dance. I went to every single BBA school function!" Tyson stated proudly.

Ray laughed. "Yeah, right." His long canine tooth poked out of his smile. "Somehow I know you're lying."

He was. No way was he going to fess up that his Gramps had pulled him aside a week ago and made him practice in the dojo all afternoon for the party. Practice for his supposed girlfriend.

Slow dancing with his grandfather, he inwardly shuddered; Tyson knew he was going to be repressing issues something fierce for the next twenty years.

"C'mon twinkle-toes!" The pony-tailed teen announced and hauled the soccer buff up to his feet. "I'll let you lead, I guess, since you're taller." Tyson relented. "But don't step on my feet!"

"You've got bigger feet than me!" Ray replied, almost jumping when Tyson's palms landed heavily on his shoulders. "I'll be fine. I'll just wing it at the dance. Mariah won't care."

Hilary made a sound of disagreement with that statement and Ray got jittery. Well as jittery as the usually calm guy he was could get.

"Really…"

"Hurry up!" Tyson said in a rush of breath and guided him down the hallway to the dojo. Max and Hilary looked at each other again and split. Max followed the guys and Hilary went to a couple of girls chatting by the window she knew from History class.

* * *

There had never been that many lights in the dojo. His gramps, who'd made himself scarce for the night, prized tradition and always lit candles instead. They'd set up lamps in here for the party, because candles, a wooden dojo, and overexcited teens were a dangerous mix.

The lights were turned low now though and Kenny had whipped out some strange glowing ball that changed colour every few moments. It cast pretty glows on the couples on the dojo floor. It was kind of warming to see.

Tyson dragged Ray to a clear-ish spot behind the big sofa near the stereo system.

"When I'm done with you, you'll be able to sweep this Mariah off her feet!" He crowed in delight. Max was chuckling behind them and sat on the back of the couch. One of Ray's soccer friends was sitting there with a cute girl Tyson vaguely remembered from Biology.

He tried to put his arm around Ray's waist in a friendly way to start the dance, but the Chinese teen clammed up, highly uncomfortable.

Tyson blew out his breath. "C'mon, this isn't a joke. I wanna help you."

Ray looked to the side. "Yeah I know that Tyson, but you don't have to…"

The lead guitarist sighed and looked at his other band member then grabbed Max's wrist, similar to the way Hilary had a little while ago. "Ok, Max and I can demonstrate."

"Ha Ha," the blond laughed and pried Tyson's fingers off him. "No thanks buddy. There's NO girl I want to woo."

They stood in an awkward triangle of non-dancing before Tyson threw up his arms in aggravation. "Oh please, this is dumb! Ray, you be the girl, you wuss."

Tyson grabbed Ray tightly and started spinning him in a terrible circle. The raven-haired teen groaned at the sudden dizzying act. "Tyson, stop! I'm not a wuss!"

"You so are!" Tyson replied, starting to wave their arms around in a weird tango impression. "I'm the birthday boy! I get what I want. Now, dance with meeeeee!" He commanded. Max was trying hard not to laugh behind his hand.

"Oh fine," Ray couldn't help cracking a grin and slowed their pace down a bit. Here in the low light none of the party-goers were really paying them any attention. They were just friends goofing off. It was just Tyson.

"You're her height anyway." He grinned at Tyson's insulted expression.

They spun a few times and both their foot work got a bit better. Max had joined Kenny at the table with the stereo, picking new and hilariously embarrassing tracks for the two to practice to. This made Ray go back to being anxious until the other couples heckled at them to return to the good songs.

* * *

Of course, it had to happen just when Tyson thought Ray was getting the hang of it and he was getting to be an expert himself.

A hand pushed his shoulder blade roughly, causing him to let go of Ray.

Tyson spun, a half-confused half-annoyed expression on his features until he saw the face of his enemy.

Kai's baleful stare could have been described as bedroom eyes against the low lights of the lamps, but Tyson knew better. He could spot Kai's lackeys now taking over some couch spots and hitting the snack table, much to the dismay of the guests. Tyson looked at Ray who seemed relieved and antsy all at once. His fingers were curled into Tyson's t-shirt with more enthusiasm now. Too bad.

"Came to cut in?" The birthday boy asked with a little bit of a lilt. Kai's stare cut back and forth between the two teens, but he stayed silent.

He didn't expect an answer but it was his birthday so he thought he kind of deserved one. He grabbed up Kai's hand in a flash and grinned, pulling the older teen to take his place. "Go wild!"

Ray gave a shout of protest and Kai's hand tightened dangerously on Tyson's, stopping him from breaking away.

"Get real," He hissed, not paying any mind as Ray waved his hands in a wild gesture of alarm and abandoned them.

"Oh," Tyson said innocently, his heart somehow beating fast. Their hands clasped together were a sweaty rough mess, but it didn't matter. "So it's **me** you're here for."

Kai's mouth quirked to one side in a hilarious excuse for a smile. He looked to the couch and all the party guests who'd been gaping gormlessly immediately resumed their activities. "I heard it's your birthday."

Tyson smiled back. "Really? I wonder how that happened!"

The dual haired teen held up an invitation that explained it all.

Tyson pulled again and suddenly they were nose to nose, chest to chest, the perfect set up for a dance. He hoped somewhere Ray was taking notes.

Kai's posture was stone, his face deadly serious again, but he did not pull away. His hand was wound tightly with Tyson's and then, nothing. He stood there silently, just staring, with his arms at his sides – which was as good as it was gonna get, Tyson knew.

"Then let's boogie." Tyson said lowly.

Some of the braver party goers watched in alarm as Tyson somehow managed to finagle the elusive Kai into a bit of a dance. The aloof teen looked like he'd rather be anywhere else yet stood rooted to the spot like he could achieve that just fine in Tyson's arms. Though to be fair, this twisted version of a dance turned out to closely resemble a tether ball and poll with Tyson swinging one way and then the other, his arms around Kai's immobile middle.

Max was watching them with a strange and quiet expression, but Tyson didn't notice. Kenny hadn't noticed anything at all, setting another happy love song to play even though no one was really dancing anymore.

For one hazy second Tyson let the garish pop music and dim lights cloud his senses in a way that was _just right_. It was the kind of cloudiness that happens for no apparent reason and sometimes at the strangest of times.

He appraised Kai with a lopsided smile, taking in the stubborn frown marring his otherwise handsome features (like it usually did) and the way Kai's cotton jersey felt under his fingertips. Everything looked and felt… really good. Wouldn't this be the perfect place to share their first kiss, even with everyone watching? In fact, it was better this way, an audience was something Tyson loved after all.

Oh. The next second came and it hit him that he'd already done the first kiss thing with Kai. That had been wonderfully screwed up.

Still, Kai's eyes were golden in the sudden change of light and Tyson didn't mind having to do First Kisses more than once…

He leaned a little closer and Kai shoved him away so hard Tyson found himself toppling over the back of the couch and into the laps of Ray and one of his teammates whose drink was upset all over Grandpa's favourite sofa. There were a few shrieks at the commotion.

"What the hell!" Tyson griped. He hadn't seen that coming, stupid hazy dance! "KAI--Oh geeze, would you look at the couch!" He yelled from his awkward sprawl on a shocked Ray.

"So-Sorry!" Ray's friend muttered. He tried to mop up the mess with one of the throw pillows then realized what he was using with a terrified expression.

Ray himself was surveying the damage with dismay. "It's not _your _fault…" He said.

"Arrgh!" Tyson ranted angrily while he got up. His fingers raked through his hair tightly before he rounded on the perpetrator.

Kai was glaring at him. What else was new?

"Guys, don't fight," Max said helplessly. The other party-goers looked on with great concern. Even Kai's gang looked a bit worried, but they shrugged it off mostly and continued to enjoy the party refreshments.

"Outside then!" Tyson conceded, grabbed on of his sweaters off the side coat hooks in a pissed off way, and threw the dojo door open.

The dual haired teen followed, wrapping his scarf with an equally angry expression and he gave everyone a warning look (or it could have been a silent death threat, who knew) before slamming the door shut.

Kenny awkwardly turned the music up and Hilary, who'd entered at the commotion, bit her lip and then whispered something quietly to Max. He pulled her out on the floor to dance to a popular hip hop song. It was a terribly awkward thing to see. So of course, everyone watched.

* * *

"Man, why'd you even bother to come here?" Annoyance was in Tyson's voice as they rounded the wrap-around porch so that no one could eavesdrop. He pulled his sweater's hood up and stuffed his rapidly freezing hands into the pockets.

Of course, the one day Kai picked to screw with him after their fight would have to be his birthday. Typical. Well, he always knew Kai was dramatic, it totally showed what with the impressive flare his unnecessarily long scarf was showing.

Kai did not bother to answer, only took the opportunity to take him by the shoulders and shove him against the wooden wall of the dojo.

Effectively pinned, the guitarist realized suddenly that Kai had no face paint on.

The taller teen released his shoulder and Tyson's heart did something weird and indescribable as Kai tugged the hood down.

Kai didn't look away as his wandering hand found the zipper to Tyson's red hoodie and pulled it down. Tyson could feel his body heat rush away fast into the cold November air but all the same a flush overcame his cheeks when the zipper hit the end of its track and clicked open.

"Uh," He swallowed and shook his head in amusement. Actually, it wasn't funny. Kai wasn't into this, into _him_, and it was plain as day. "Kai—"

"Shut up." Kai's words were quiet and the look in his dark red eyes did not change. "This is," he looked away for just a second before pinning Tyson with his stare again, "a test."

There was no test for what they had. It was some strange disease, Tyson was sure. It couldn't be cured, he thought, staring back at the other teen.

Kai was holding him lightly on either side of his navel, and then he kissed Tyson's neck, digging his blunt fingertips into Tyson's skin.

This wasn't a test, it was a mercy killing. The older teen pushed him more fully against the soft wood wall. They were nose to nose, chest to chest, a different way and Tyson gasped loudly. It half morphed into a moan before Kai muffled him with his mouth, kissing him rough, like they were used to.

The younger teen mumbled nonsense about being suffocated and Kai caught his lip between teeth, forcing him too meet those red eyes.

"This is a test." Kai repeated in a whisper. "No talking. Quiet."

He really, really, wanted to question it. He really, really wanted to laugh at it too. He wanted to say 'I thought you didn't like me,' the most, but Kai's soft lips against the side of his neck were such a big contradiction that he couldn't.

In a rare bout of thought, Tyson asked, "Can I kiss you?" instead, his voice shaky and low in Kai's ear.

The older boy froze slightly, and Tyson took that moment to look at his expression. He seemed shocked that Tyson hadn't just grabbed and molested him already. With good reason, he supposed. Heheh.

The question drifted away with a cold gust of air.

"No." Kai said.

"But—that's…"

Kai's nose touched Tyson's faintly red one and he shook his head. It was the meanest Eskimo kiss ever.

The ponytailed teen sucked in a breath as Kai's hands slowly skimmed under the hem of his shirt. It was freezing but it was amazing and he ran his fingers into the hair at the back of Kai's head.

They stared at each other for a moment and then Kai was hitching him up, supporting him against the wall and one of Tyson's legs was wrapped around the other's waist. It was like they'd begun where their last fight had ended, except less biting. Well, maybe. The beyblader kissed all around his mouth and suddenly Tyson's earlobe was caught between teeth. Tyson groaned madly, and trapped Kai's cool unpainted cheeks between his palms and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

The older teen pulled back from the soft kiss, his lips slightly parted in a strange expression caught between shock and something else entirely too scary to label. Tyson's hands shifted, resting directly over Kai's furiously beating heart.

"Kai," Tyson breathed suddenly, a thin puff of air ghosted up. Adrenaline rushed fast up and down his arms and legs.

The wind caught Kai's hair a little and his eyes were very, very dark and kind of blue in the night sky. His eyes always reflected way too much.

"Oh shit," Tyson whispered in shock and embarrassment. "Shit, I—Sorry! Kai, sorry, dammit," He could feel his cheeks burn and stomach flip flop. The sheer look of passion that had crossed Kai's face had sent him straight over the edge.

And now that he was over it, well, it wasn't that great a place to be when Kai was staring at him blankly and his pants were feeling so, so very uncomfortable. Tyson frantically made to squeeze out of the other teen's grasp so he could cool down and will away what Kai surely knew _wasn't_ his Beyblade launcher.

Kai's stupid hands were clamps as usual though, and held him steady, auburn eyes staring into his own. "Stop it." Kai said at last, looking annoyed.

"Sure uh," Tyson said and couldn't help but chuckle. "If you have a picture of Ms. Treble in a thong—"

The older teen shook him, rattling his brain a bit. "Shut **up**." Kai said through clenched teeth.

Was there no pleasing this guy!? Tyson tried again to will away his obvious evidence of attraction but it was just begging to fail, when Kai was still holding him, pressing into him. It was almost like he was making sure Tyson knew who finally had the upper hand.

"Geeze…. I said sorry!" Tyson muttered sourly.

"Don't apologize." Kai's voice was suddenly a lot lower, softer. "I did it," Tyson's breath hitched at the verdict. "And I want the credit."

Guilty, guilty, guilty! Tyson's mind shouted like a rabid jury, his heart wildly accusing Kai with its sudden burst of thumps. Oh, he was going to make good on that life sentence, no probation! He was going to make sure Kai never got off early. Or maybe he would…

Tyson's embarrassment faded away slowly and excitement rushed in as Kai leant to kiss him once more.

It was really, really weird to see Tyson's face flushed. He looked almost demure, face turned into Kai, his cheek pressing softly against the other's neck. Below was a different story, and Kenny stood agog, catching a glimpse of a little tattoo at the small of Kai's back as Tyson twisted the material of the older teen's shirt in his hands.

Tyson moaned and moved his hips.

Kenny let out an uncontrolled shrill yelp earning their attention (but he would deny being shrill) and zipped back inside like he was a man possessed.

* * *

"Um…" The Chief was kind of dazed as he slid the door shut. "Yeah they're occupied." He said to the few who asked him to check and see if the Bay rivals were still at it. A few party-goers tittered.

Ray and Max immediately jumped up.

"Man what's their damage—" Ray said and rolled up his sleeve. He and the blond moved forward but Kenny held them back with eerie strength.

"No-no! That's okay, they'll come back when they're done. They looked um, almost done." He laughed a bit nervously and tried to loosen his collar with a finger.

Max boggled. "Tyson's not dead is he?"

Ray shook his head and slipped past the shorter teen's arm. He was in the middle of opening the door just as Kai happened through with a royally messed up look on his face. They blinked at each other for almost colliding and then Kai's eyebrows clashed so furiously it looked like they were trying to eat his face.

"_MOVE_." He knocked Ray out of the way and his gang split so fast they could've been a bunch of bananas.

Most of the other party-goers took this as their cue that the night was coming to a close. It was a little after one in the morning after all Tyson watched in dismay as his shindig deflated like a too-old balloon. Soon the only ones left were his band mates.

Max watched the carnage with no small amount of sympathy. He flopped down on the slightly soggy couch. "Wow, Kai can really clear a room."

Tyson moaned in despair like his was reading lines in E-Shakespeare club. "So close!"

"To what?" Ray asked testily, still rubbing his shoulder.

Kenny went red at this question and mumbled to himself, fingers clawing at the air as though typing on invisible keys. He'd break out the laptop and type a sonnet at this rate.

Hilary was pensive. "Do I even wanna know what type of present Kai could dish out?"

"Birthday beats, what else?" Tyson was giving Kenny a Cheshire cat grin.

Ray's golden eyes cut to Tyson and then the couch where Max was having fun getting up and sitting down again, hearing the sticky mess bond, peel and break each time.

"Did you really invite him?" He asked.

Tyson looked at him, it was a weird expression. Kind of serious, kind of sly, but then he smiled quirkily and shrugged. "When I asked him to be a part of the band, I told him to come. It was an extended invitation."

When Kenny had disappeared back into the dojo, he had told Kai, "my place, anytime," and Kai had said, "No."

Tyson grinned to himself and started ordering everyone to clean up. There were groans of dismay. His friends were great. The best.

He reapplied his chapstick.

Kai had said, "No. Mine."

* * *

End Track

**Author's Notes: **Just a reminder, there will be NO other pairings for Tyson in this fic except for Kai. He's just popular. :P

**Disclaimer: **Beyblade and all its likeness does not belong to me. Song Used: On Top of the World by Boys Like Girls


	7. Every Love Song Ever

**Tyson to a Different Tune**

**Track 7  
**Every Love Song Ever

* * *

It was on a Thursday later that week that Hilary found the Chief in the library hunched over a book before the morning announcements. This in itself was odd, since Kenny preferred using a computer to obtain his information above all else. But he was too afraid that search results on this particular subject would be _too_ extensive…

"Kenny, I've been looking all over for you! C'mon, two minutes 'till bell!"

He shoved '_Homosexuality and Your Friend, Not_ _You_' back into the H-titles and swept his stuff into his bag quickly before rushing after the brunette girl.

He did not want to be caught off guard when all this blew up, because it was high school, and it surely would. Not like it seemed Tyson even cared, but it was only a matter of time.

* * *

The Assembly was getting close. Too close.

But Tyson didn't really care. He and Kai were getting close. Way close.

Like right _now_.

"Out of my way," Kai said, peering down his nose at Tyson who was standing directly in his warpath.

The gang was snickering. Carlos banged on someone's locker with his drumsticks and generally annoyed everyone who had ears.

Max and Ray huddled closer to the baseball capped teen as if to ward off Kai's presence. The effect was ruined with Tyson's megawatt grin fastened firmly in place.

"C'mon, Ty," Max grabbed his arm. "Tenor's a-waiting!"

"I'll catch up," Tyson replied, easily slipping out of the blond's grip. "I have to hit my locker first."

Rei frowned at that, shooting Kai and his gang a suspicious look before shrugging. He threw a smile to his friends. "See you guys at lunch. Good luck on the test!"

"Test..?" The guitarist echoed faintly, but not really concerned. He was staring straight into Kai's auburn eyes. And Kai was letting him.

The Hiwatari mystery was so different from anyone he'd ever met before. Those dark eyes that could light up in a moment of brightness, that angled nose and the way his mouth always curved down, even when he was smiling – especially when he was smiling, because Kai liked to be the tough guy.

Tyson tried to imagine what could have bore a child like Kai and came up with a horrid image of -an older Kai with a grayish blue moustache and a Kai with a rack and blue lipstick to match the face paint.

"Earth to Boss!" The weedy looking member of the gang shouted loudly, as if for the hundredth time. That effectively knocked Tyson back into reality.

If Kai had gotten caught up in the pull of their stare then he didn't let it faze him.

"Hmn." Kai grunted, not breaking eye contact. "Leave me alone."

"Bu-But Boss!" Another one squeaked in outrage. Tyson wondered whether Kai would want him to know their names for future hang outs… and then he became privately horrified at his thoughts.

"Stewart here has the…" Carlos shot Tyson a look. "_The Documents!_"

Kai actually turned his head at that and suddenly Tyson found he could breathe easier. His blood was rushing in a funny rhythm through his hands.

"Carlos." Kai said tightly. "_Later._"

"C'mon," Stewart pulled at the bandana wearing teen, and said over his shoulder, "See ya, Kai."

"Whatever…" Carlos grumbled. "Yeah, bye."

The bell rang and stragglers banged their lockers closed and rushed off to class until the last steps were echoing off the empty halls.

Kai quirked an eyebrow and Tyson dropped his backpack with a thud. And then his back hit the locker with a metallic thud.

"Hey." Tyson let out a short, excited breath. He puckered his lips a little just as Kai did and they kissed lightly by accident.

The two blinked in surprise and Tyson chuckled nervously for just a second before Kai frowned and Tyson tried to look unhappy. He failed miserably.

Looking at Kai and not being on the receiving end of a murderous glare was so bizarre. Tyson found himself thinking with horror that he was going to miss the death glares if they stopped. He had enjoyed the chase too much for it to end just yet. So he slapped Kai on the ass before the other got a chance to walk away and was rewarded with being shoved inside his locker and the door shut.

He guessed it was just because they were now kind of (in a deranged sort of way) liking each other, that his combination lock wasn't latched closed.

* * *

"You know, I think there's something weird going on with Tyson. And Kai." Max said pensively tapping his pen against his orange binder.

Hilary snorted. "Whatever gave you that idea?" At the blond's dumbfounded expression, she ploughed on with a sigh. "Of _course_ there's something weird going on. When it involves Kai Hiwatari, things usually do go the way of the dodo..."

"I dunno," Max replied. "I'm kind of serious here."

At that moment, Tyson shuffled into the classroom. He waved at the two and shrugged because there weren't many free seats left. The guitarist grabbed a spot on the other side of the room.

Hilary, being the girl who loved to debate everything, was sceptical. "Really. Look, he's fine and still the perfectly dysfunctional Tyson you know and love." She said flatly. "Now you being serious; _that_ seems a bit more farfetched than-"

"Than what?" Max asked with sudden apprehension.

Hilary paused to give her friend the 'you're losing your kibbles and bits' look. "Than whatever you think is going on with those two. They've actually been running circles around each other all year."

She blinked and then started tapping her finger along in time with Max's pen on the binder. "Well, Tyson has been hunting Kai down for the band at any rate."

"It's not just me…" Max mumbled with a slight redness to his freckled cheeks. "Ray and Kenny are getting some vibes too. Tyson seems… _preoccupied_."

"Boys." She shook her head.

Tenor snapped his projector screen up. On the chalkboard behind it the time limit for the test was written.

And that was the end of that.

When the stern biology teacher wrote in dusty white chalk _'20 Minutes Remaining'_ Tyson threw down his pen in triumph. He'd found it randomly on the floor before the period started so he didn't bother to pick it up again as he rushed from his seat and handed in the paper booklet.

Mr. Tenor gave him a baleful look from under one raised eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Tyson grinned to himself as he walked by Hilary, who started to write like she wanted to start a fire she was rubbing lead to paper so fast.

* * *

Immediately, Tyson started whistling. Tests like that was just the kind of kindling that would be sure to set his family on fire. Luckily, his bro was nowhere to be seen. Same with his father. And gramps was never that much into academics unless it involved kendo practice.

He was sure that he had failed it, or at least came close. Tyson scratched at his head before jamming his trusty baseball hat on. He jogged down the stairs with pep in his step, ready to get a quick snack from the cafeteria before math class.

He knew from the start of the year that he'd never get a good grade in Tenor's biology class. It was destiny; one that Tyson didn't really care to fight against.

And even if he had wanted to study, for the past week he'd been… preoccupied.

Or a better word for it would probably be 'crushing'. But hopefully something a little less sappy than that. He just couldn't figure out the right word for it at the moment. Because, he was… well, busy.

He swung into the caf and paid for an apple before swinging back out. There were only a few students milling around. Not many people came to school early if they had first period off and those who were hanging around were studying for upcoming tests.

Things were getting down to the wire now that the winter break was coming up on the calendar. Tyson crunched into his apple and relished in being able to lounge under the inside tree that grew in the open landing just below the stairs.

Outside, there were snowflakes coming down in the bright blustery morning air. Under his white rubber soled sneakers were dirty wet footprints that had been tracked in on the pink tiles of the floor. He crunched into his apple again, and then wiped his mouth with the back of his arm.

Now would be as good a time as any to kill some time in the music practice rooms. With that in mind, Tyson finished up his snack and tossed the core of the apple into a garbage bin on route to his locker to grab his guitar.

As he got closer to the end of the hallway, the familiar sounds of his winter assembly song wafted through one of the doors. Tyson blinked in surprise. He cleaned out one of his ears with his pinky finger and strained to determine if what he heard was right.

When the same verse played out again, sounding just like how Tyson would play it – _had _played it – he threw the door open.

* * *

"Don't you knock?" Kai said. Everything about his voice screamed 'pissed off.' But Tyson still shut the door behind him.

"Hey Kai, why are you in a _music_ room…" Tyson's eyebrows and mouth danced around in a gross display of the Macarena. He didn't want to believe his ears. "Isn't this a bit cramped for Beyblading-?" He flummoxed his way around a music stand, clanging things together into a mess.

The music practice rooms at Bay High weren't very impressive; unless you counted their notorious reputations as amazing make out points. The rooms were the sizes of closets, crammed full of music stands and chairs that left very little room except for one or two people and their instruments.

"None of your business."

"Then what are you doing in here?" The guitarist cocked his head to one side. There was Kai's guitar, the same one he'd seen in the shack, hanging carelessly off the chair.

"You're…practicing…something." Tyson said in awe and then couldn't contain the grin that emerged, pressing up close to Kai. His guitar was slung behind him across his back and his nose got into Kai's personal space.

Kai placed his foot on Tyson's knee and pushed him back.

"And you're disturbing me." The dual-haired teen replied.

"Where'd you get the music?" Tyson ignored him, rounding on the music stand to see his _original_ hand scribbled copies of sheet music on the stands.

"Waita—Hang on! I never gave you these!"

Kai sat down on one of the chairs, looking surly as ever as he grabbed up his guitar and started plucking strings. Tyson didn't really know what to do with himself as he watched Kai's lazy yet accurate ministrations.

"Did you _steal_ these from my house?" Tyson was incredulous. On the one hand, Kai was crazy. On the other, Kai was _amazing_.

The older teen smirked. "Having a gang comes in handy sometimes." He strummed out the chorus, deep red eyes catching and holding tightly onto Tyson's gaze.

Suddenly, the presence of Kai's seedy friends at his birthday party all made sense. And, the _test_. It must have been a sort of silly and _sexy_ distraction technique.

Tyson's open mouth transformed into an incredulous grin.

Somehow the baseball-capped teen's hands found their way to his guitar and then he was playing the same notes, in time, and feeling the chords run through his veins. But his guitar wasn't plugged in and so it was his own motions he felt but Kai's notes that he heard, loud and clear.

Kai seemed to take that as a challenge, because he stood up and played more intensely. His fingering was a bit rusty but he definitely hadn't forgotten any lessons in Tyson's opinion.

Tyson struck faster than before and Kai retaliated just the same. Soon they were staring each other in the eyes, fingers whisking over the strings just the right way. Fighting with notes; shouting with chords; saying a million things with just their guitars.

It was too much to bear. Tyson dropped his abused pick and grasped Kai by the guitar strap, pulling him in for a kiss. Kai cupped the shorter teen behind his head, his pick getting lodged randomly in the dark blue hair.

Tyson groaned and stood on his toes, holding tightly onto Kai's shoulders as they kissed. The dual haired teen broke the kiss and they exhaled over each other's lips, breathing the same air.

"This room's occupied, you know." The taller teen said with a low voice.

"Yeah," Tyson agreed.

Kai smirked and rolled his eyes. "So get out."

* * *

Tyson stumbled into Staccato's class looking dazed and confused. No one was in there except Hilary and another girl named Mandy who were stacking textbooks on the side of the room.

"What happened to you?" Hilary asked with some disgust. The guy looked more disheveled than normal.

The other girl snickered behind her hand. "He looks kind of like how I felt after Tenor's test!"

"Eerr….uhhh…." Tyson was saved by the bell. He looked up, shocked. He'd made it to class early? Wonders would never cease.

At his slack-jawed expression Hilary rolled her eyes. "Where were you? Alto marked you absent!"

"Huh?" Tyson's eyebrows rocketed off into space.

"Class is OVER." She sighed. "Sheesh. Well it's not like half the class didn't show up anyway. Everyone skips so damn much before the winter break. C'mon, let's go to lunch." He watched she and Mandy finish up and then Tyson was dragged down the stairs.

* * *

Finally it had arrived.

The Friday before Winter Break.

It was kind of dreary weather out; with the sky ripped clear of its cloud blanket and cold puddles hanging around after an icy rain the night before. Perhaps fifty percent of the student populace had bothered to show up to Bay High that morning.

Tyson kind of wondered why he hadn't done the stayed home while helping to push some of the tables and desks out of the way in the tacky little gym classroom.

He's searched all day for Kai but hadn't seen him. The dual haired teen must have been ignoring him, or avoiding him, but for what reason Tyson had no clue. The beyblader would always be a mystery in that case.

Hilary set down some bowls filled with chips and pretzels onto the newly positioned furniture.

"This is kind of hokey." He complained, but grabbed a handful of the salty snacks anyway.

Hilary looked annoyed. "Well it's nothing special, that's true. But it's a nice way of getting to spend the last bit of the day with our classmates."

"Yeah," Kenny said, popping out from behind a stack of chairs. "I prepared a mixed CD just for this occasion."

Tyson plucked the CD out of Kenny's fingers. His blue eyes raked down the track list. "Frosty the Snowman," for some reason, his mind conjured an icy looking Kai. "_Really_, Chief?"

The short bespectacled teen gave a disgruntled swipe for the music. "It's appropriately themed!"

Tyson and Hilary shared a look and broke out into half grins over the Chief's head.

They left Kenny to his own devices to grab seats with the rest of the crew on top of the pushed together desks. Max was reading Ray an extensive list.

"Hello Kitty lunchbox, Super Saiyan Trunks action figure, five jade owl statues…"

Ray looked amazed. "Why do you need all of these… random things?"

"Because you're going to China, Ray. You know how much awesome shopping there is?" The blond's eyes looked about ready to glaze over.

"Er… I guess so."

"Wow, well now we know where your gay boyfriend has been hiding all along." Tyson laughed madly, delivering a hearty slap to Hilary's back.

She gave him impeccable cut eye.

Max blushed. "They're personalized usable souvenirs!" He defended.

Ray chuckled. "Naah, don't worry about it Max. I'll do my best at being Santa for you." He grinned his cattish smile, his tooth glinting even in the dull classroom florescent lights.

Tyson watched Hilary's eyes meet the floor and she deliberately marched away to stiffly rearrange the snack bowls.

The side of his mouth tugged up slightly and he fiddled with twisting his cap on and off, turning it backwards and forwards as the girl half's gym teacher Ms. Sharp came through the door with a smile on her face. She was chatting with a female student with short pink hair and gesturing with her clipboard even if, for the first time he'd seen her, she wasn't wearing the dreary gym duds she usually wore.

A few of the guys sighed fondly. She was crush-worthy alright, but then Kai Hiwatari walked in behind her and Tyson's breath stopped.

He jumped off the desk and grabbed a handful of chips before running up to meet the other teen and his rag tag friends.

"Kai!" He stuffed the snack food into his mouth, chewing. "Hey!"

The Hiwatari Mystery stopped, adjusting his scarf so it hung correctly and then glared. Other students were curious about the exchange and nosily stared.

"What?" Kai hissed out, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Tyson laughed. The smell of barbeque flavor assaulted the taller teen's nose.

He wrinkled it. "Tyson. Leave me alone." Those large eyebrows were narrowed dangerously.

Tyson swallowed and felt Hilary take his arm to lead him away but he stood his ground. "I'm coming over during the winter break."

Kai's eyes darted back and forth and then he took a step very deep into Tyson's personal space. "Listen carefully."

The ponytailed teen cocked his head to the side, a confident expression stretched across his features.

"You keep your mouth shut," Kai threatened and Tyson felt his friends hovering behind him. "Or I'll do it for you."

"I can live with that." Tyson grinned wickedly and grabbed Kai by the scarf. Those red eyes widened. There was suddenly twice as much tongue going on in his mouth.

Everyone in the classroom stared.

The guitarist's fingerless gloved hand reached behind his prisoner and shoved into his back pocket. Kai nearly jumped out of his pants. He violently pushed Tyson away.

Everyone's jaws dropped. Ray dropped his soccer ball.

Immediately people started muttering to themselves, eyes wide with confusion and scandal. Some guys were even shouting obscenities.

"Aren't you gonna punch him?"

"Yeah, Kai! Deck him!"

"You could." Tyson said, cocky as if he knew Kai wouldn't do it. His cheeks were rosy.

Kai did. He cracked his fist across Tyson's grinning face as hard as he could. The other teen stumbled back, his face whipping to the side from the force making his hat fall off. Their little audience jeered.

"Tyson!" Kenny moved to help him, but Ray held him back.

The rock star wannabe slowly lifted a hand to his mouth. He held his split lip and looked back at Kai with shock written all over his face. For the first time to him, those shark fins really did look menacing instead of just like badly applied makeup. A punch for a kiss, it was a fair trade.

Kai seemed just as surprised to see Tyson's expression.

Too bad it didn't last. The new kid bit his lip while smirking. "Not bad… but this'll heal faster than the _hickey_ I gave you yesterday."

"OoOoohh," the crowd crowed at the diss. Max, Hilary, Kenny, and Ray all looked at each other nervously. This was getting way out of hand. Ms. Sharp was still watching out of wide eyes. Soon Coach Clef would be back into the classroom to see what was going on and that didn't bode well for anyone.

"Okay! That's it!" Hilary yelled waving her arms back and forth, nearly taking off Max's head. "Great joke, guys! HAHAHA!" She laughed loudly and nervously. She purposely manhandled the unfortunate Kenny and Max next to her to laugh too.

No one bought it, but then again, Hilary was the most uptight class president they'd ever had. Who knew what to believe? She used her hands for a megaphone effect.

"NOTHING TO SEE HERE EVERYONE!" The rest of the gym classes gave her distrustful looks as they filed away; the bell was going to ring soon anyway and no student wanted to stay on the grounds longer than they had to with the winter break starting up.

Kai took a step towards Tyson and looked down. He opened his mouth then shut it, glaring hatefully at the random paper plate under his feet. He turned and stalked away, not caring to deal with the little band of friends. He smashed through the classroom door, his scarf wafting in his wake.

* * *

They stood around Tyson uncomfortably.

It looked like those weird comments Tyson had been making about him and Kai were actually true. They'd not taken it seriously, chocking it up to Tyson being his joking self. And now it made sense. All those kissy faces he'd made at Kai weren't teasing, rather Tyson's bad attempt at flirting!

No one at Bay High had ever dealt with such a strange occurrence though. The closest mishap they had to compare it to in the school's history had been a two years ago, when a guy named Antonio had announced he was taking 'Frankie' to the dance. It'd been the hot gossip for days until the couple showed up and it turned out Frankie was a girl who just liked being called that instead of her full name – Frankensteina.

"Here, let's go to the nurse to get that looked at." Kenny offered with a nervous smile, holding out a hand to take Tyson's arm.

Tyson shrugged him off and stuffed his hands in his sweater pockets.

"Tyson, I can't believe you!" Hilary reprimanded. "You-" She got stuck, staring at Tyson's bruised face. "Why-" She had no idea what she even wanted to ask. "That was one helluva kiss." The brunette relented.

"Did you really uh," Ray looked to the side and coughed, embarrassed. "Give him a hickey?"

It seemed like Tyson wasn't in the mood for talking, for he gave Ray a considering look and didn't say a word.

"Um," Max tried valiantly to fill the awkward silence that followed.

"Well, I'm going home." Tyson said loudly, making everyone jump. "Don't forget to practice, dudes." He grinned over his shoulder. "See ya."

Hilary blinked wildly, "Tyson-what—"

"Later!" He yelled and rushed out the door.

* * *

As the first official day of winter break rolled in the next day, Tyson groaned and buried his head under his pillow unwilling to wake up. He drifted in and out of dreamland, the cold wind rushing past his window.

Tyson watched silently with a growing smile on his face. Kai's back was a familiar sight, but he was sitting on the stage next to the amplifier holding that classic guitar of his. The one his father had given him.

The dual-haired teen's fingers were whisking over the chords aimlessly, searching for a tune. Tyson didn't move, just drinking in the quiet moment before Kai's fingers became confident, the first bars of Tyson's song streaming out, playing all the right notes.

Suddenly, Kai turned and looked at the baseball capped teen over his shoulder, a slow smile coming over his features. Tyson moved forward and picked up his own guitar which just happened to be there, entering the music gently but before long his strums got louder and louder with his barely contained glee. Together their fingers played over their guitars, this was so unreal.

Tyson sang looking straight at Kai. The beyblader looked startled but didn't stop his playing.

What words was he saying? He couldn't even hear himself. But somehow he felt they were the lyrics of every love song ever. And he didn't mind.

* * *

**End Track**

**Author's Notes: **Thank you so much for sticking by me. One or two more chapters to go. They're almost there!

**Disclaimer: **Beyblade and all its likeness does not belong to me.


	8. Turning into Stars

**Tyson to a Different Tune**

**Track 8**  
Turning into Stars

* * *

It was the next day when Tyson's evil grandpa barged into his room waving a kendo stick high above his head.

"Up and at 'em, champ!"

Tyson groaned miserably, shoving a pillow on top of his head down to try and block out the annoying sounds.

The blanket ripped off.

"Graaaampsss…" He moaned.

Of course, it wasn't like he didn't start off every day just like that… Only the smell of mouth watering pizza didn't _usually_ waft into his room.

Tyson sat up.

"Food?" He questioned blearily.

Gramps snorted and placed a hand on his shorts-clad hip. Really, what kind of old dude wore shorts in the winter?

"Your friends are all down in the kitcherino having a pizza lunch in your honour while you're sleepin' like the dead up here!"

Only half of that made sense to the guitarist but he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes anyway.

Tyson pulled himself together enough to jog down the stairs. Considering he was a teenage boy who wasn't normally very neat, that meant he'd only bothered to throw on an old ripped pair of jeans, his long blue hair a wild mess.

He entered the kitchen, pulling down a yellow t-shirt as he shuffled in his ugly matching yellow socks.

"Guys…" He said with a small uneasy smile creeping up his mouth. He took in the sight of Kenny, Hilary, Max, and Ray all crowding the room. "You're all here! And with food!"

"Hey buddy!" Max was grinning so wide it was a little scary. "We figured since Ray is leaving for China tomorrow and we'll all be busy with the holidays that we could hang out together for lunch!"

Hilary reached out and pinched Max in a not too subtle manner.

"A-Ah, and we're also…" Max made a face. "_Here for you_."

"To talk." Ray supplied unhelpfully.

Tyson balked. "Oh my god. I know what this is." He backed up until he stumbled into the door jamb.

"This is an intervention!" He yelled.

Hilary closed in on him, fire in her eyes. "No Tyson! This isn't an intervention!"

"Well, technically, we _are_ trying to _intervene_…" Kenny said rather tactlessly.

"Shut it, Kenny!" Hilary commanded and then clamped a hand onto Tyson's arm. "C'mon be a champ and give us the low down!"

Tyson couldn't help the hysterical noise that broke free from his lungs along with an awful joke as he was dragged off to the living room.

"Or the down low—!"

The rest of the band followed close behind.

* * *

Tyson sat unceremoniously on a guitar amp, slowly chewing on a cheesy slice of lunch. Considering his friends were staring at him like a science experiment, he thought he was doing pretty well.

"Sooo…" He didn't want to start off anything on the wrong foot. Well, it was starting to look like anything he did say would probably end up a foot in the mouth.

Hilary took a vicious bite off of her crust. "You! And Kai."

"Right," Tyson was privately dismayed to feel some sort of gross fluttering sensation in his chest like the way a traitorous mushy secret would flutter. If he had one. He totally didn't have one.

Max laughed a little in a placating way that did nothing for the situation. "I think what she means to say is… er.. well."

"No, that pretty much sums it up." Tyson interjected and his pizza crust was tossed into the pile. He grabbed up another piece.

Ray looked concerned and crossed his arms. "Tyson, we're not asking you to spill all your private life to us, but maybe it _would_ be a good idea if you got some stuff off your chest. You look like you could use it…"

Tyson's resolve to be the perfect model of denial deflated a little at that sentiment.

Kenny adjusted the pillow underneath him that looked suspiciously like the one from Gramps' soda-stained couch. "If it helps, I've read about the topic extensively in order to help answer any questions you may be harbouring…"

Everyone stared at the Chief with barely disguised horror.

"Um, okay. I don't ever want to hear about what you've read." Tyson bleated, then under his breath muttered, "E-Shakespeare is enough…"

"I'd been wondering when it would come out, but I never expected it quite like that." Kenny shifted and shifted. "Statistically speaking, high school relationships at Bay High have only lasted, on average, two weeks."

"Wow you guys only lasted half that!" Hilary blurted out and then looked cowed as the boys made shushing motions.

Tyson chewed on his new pizza slice more slowly. For some reason it tasted like cardboard. He made a face and tossed it back into the delivery box. "Chief, why do you have a statistic for everything?"

Ray shrugged and took a bite out of Tyson's discarded piece. "I'm sure he's been calculating his best way to get with Ming Ming for years."

Everyone chuckled and Kenny squawked in indignation.

Tyson fiddled with one of the dials on his amp-seat, looking uncharacteristically pensive.

"Hey," Max said getting up from his seat and slinging an arm around Tyson's shoulders. "Don't worry, Ty! Call me crazy, but I kinda had that feeling about you."

Tyson turned and grinned. His nose was almost touching Max's round freckle covered cheek. "Had _feelings_ about me, eh?"

At least Max blushed, Tyson smirked realizing his charm was still intact even if his pride wasn't.

"Okay," Hilary said calmly while extracting the blond away from Tyson with relative ease. The long-haired teen gave her an obviously faked pout.

She patted him on the back with a bit more force than necessary. "There, there, Tyson. You know the old saying – other fish in the sea, and all that!"

"Jealous?" Tyson finally cracked his joker grin.

That made Hilary blush deeply. "I meant, some time down the road—hopefully a long road—" She muttered to herself, "You'll find new and fresh _boyfriend _material."

That stumped all the guys in the room, and Hilary looked dumbfounded at their blank stares. "What?" She sharply defended.

"Woah there," Tyson said with a tricky expression to understand. "No one said anything about boyfriends!"

"Oh? And then what would you call your relationship with Kai?" She fired off with her arms crossed.

"No, no, no, no…" The pony-tailed teen waved his hands wildly, "Hil, GUYS don't _do _relationships. I'd call it… animal instincts." He tried to seem worldly and suave by wiggling one eyebrow but it just came off as lame.

"As if, Tyson you've been mooning over the guy since day one!" The female brunette huffed and started ticking of an imaginary check list on her fingers. "Oh heeey, Kai looks pretty good in that tank top. Oohh, he plays guitar! Insert dirty joke here."

Her Tyson voice was pretty good and had everyone in stitches.

Ray chuckled. "I think what Tyson's trying to say is: it's his first crush."

"NO WAY. That's not it at all!" Tyson squawked.

"Wow, this is probably the first time I've seen you all red!" Ray pointed out. They all relished in seeing his tan cheeks actually flush in embarrassment. Tyson laughed but it was kind of true.

The teens cleaned up the remnants of the pizza lunch and hung around for a while just digesting. Tyson had plugged in his guitar and begun strumming notes, not quite remembering the tune.

Max watched him with a small smile tinged with a bit of sourness. "Hey Ty, you sure you'll be okay?"

The blue haired teen looked up and breathed in deep. His friends had seemed happy with whatever answers they'd gotten out of him. Tyson didn't think he'd owned up to that much, but maybe it was written all over his face.

"Yeah, Max, I'm cool."

Hilary gave a long sigh that came with the heavy burden of being socially aware. "Now the whole school knows Kai dumped you."

"I guess…but," Tyson agreed, not realizing he looked pretty forlorn. "We were never really together."

"Are you gonna torment him more?" Ray asked out of the blue.

"What?" Tyson replied, irritated.

"Well, I mean, if I had a um, significant other, and they kept blowing kisses at me everyday I'd get a bit–" Ray searched for the right word. "Strained."

"Stunned?" Hilary wondered.

"Stressed." Max supplied helpfully.

"Sexually-frustrated!" Kenny joined in and everyone shot him weird looks. "What?" He huffed, face now dark red and buried his nose in his laptop.

Ray shook his hair out of his eyes and continued, "If they kissed me in front of everyone and I couldn't reciprocate–"

"Cause PDAs are SCARY!" Max shuddered and then explained at Hilary's questioning look. "Public Displays of Affection."

She nodded vigorously – she knew that.

"Yeah," Ray plowed on. "Well, I guess I would be… strained."

"Oh," the guitar player didn't have words. He plucked at a string aimlessly.

The conversation dropped off awkwardly. Tyson wasn't sure if he should turn Ray's scenario around in his mind a bit more, or to just ignore everything altogether. He wasn't about _hiding_ who he was. He was an open book, and he enjoyed being able to share all that he was to anyone he met. Tyson was proud that his hopes and dreams weren't a _mystery._

And of course, Kai was the complete opposite.

"So um... who do you think's uh, you know… cute?"

Everyone stopped their ministrations to stare at Max. The blond turned red at Hilary's suspicious eye.

Tyson started to laugh. His small chuckles got louder and louder until he was slapping his knee and doubled over.

The rest of the band members smiled at the scene, happy the exuberance had returned to Tyson's spirit.

"Ray is, naturally. Every girl likes him." Hilary said as a matter-of-factly.

"It's true." Kenny supplied. That made Tyson snort in amusement.

Max let out a loud disgruntled sound. "Thanks a lot for mentioning **me**!"

"You're welcome." The girl replied with a sly grin.

Tyson rolled his eyes with a half-smile.

Things were fine, just fine. The winter assembly was just around the corner, and come Monday morning he would get to sleep in because of the holidays. They were going to win.

* * *

Now it wasn't like they'd been dating or anything, but wasn't there a rule you were supposed to wait a couple days before calling or making a move?

Tyson wasn't completely sure, but after being dead bored of hibernating until past noon and eating cardboard-y ice cream for the first half of the week, he decided to venture outside.

And then ran right back in to get some warmer clothes.

The ponytailed teen pulled on some winter gloves and jumped onto his bike. Hiro was around because the holiday season acted like some kind of homing beacon on adventuring twenty-something year olds looking for home cooked meals. Too bad Gramps had gotten a new cookbook from one of his friends down at the kendo supplies shop and was planning to make a completely Hawaiian style feast.

Tyson snickered to himself, feeling better than he had in a while as the icy wind drew itself in circles across his face.

It only made sense that he climbed the gate to the Hiwatari house while at his one hundred percent best. He'd even stuck Dragoon into his backpack along with his other weapons against the beast known as Kai's Temper.

The neighbourhood Kai lived in was just passed the school in the other direction, so Tyson had rode through his fiftieth slush puddle by the time he'd reached the affluent homes. Most of the large houses were decked out way more than just the halls. Twinkling lights filled the grayish afternoon air and one lawn even had a light up snowman that moved.

Rolling to a stop in front of the Hiwatari residence was kind of like riding through another slush puddle. It was bleak and without garland, the black gate all bolted up and no cars in sight. Usually the streets and driveways were packed with visiting family and friends, but it was pretty apparent that not a mouse was stirring in this house. Kai had probably gone away for the holidays.

Shrugging, Tyson leaned his bike against the brick at the side and rubbed his hands together. There was a hedge that looked prickly. The bars of the gate ran vertically and were slicked with frost and ice. The brick wall that was attached to the gate didn't extend far enough.

"Hmm…" Tyson tilted his head left and right.

There _was_ the tree closer to the street that had a branch that could technically suspend him over the gate. It could also potentially suspend him then break to let him be speared to death.

Tyson took a deep breath and tightened the straps to his backpack. He put one foot onto the tree and then grabbed a low branch. It creaked. Gingerly, he reached up to the next branch, took another step up. It creaked even more.

"Shiiiit!" Tyson whined, halfway up the tree and hanging on with all his might.

An engine roared from somewhere behind him and the sound flared up as it passed by, slush splattered all over the backs of his jeans and shoes.

Tyson whipped around, growling at the jerk who'd sabotaged his break in.

"Hey you!"

_Creeeeak. Crack!_

He fell off the tree, branch in hand.

"I've died." Tyson whimpered, seeing stars from his prone spot on the sidewalk.

The idiot who'd splashed him came closer; the rumbling of the engine getting so loud Tyson was sure his head was going to be road kill. He prayed for his baseball cap to find another soul mate.

Kai stared down at him, seated on a fire red motorcycle. He narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to break into my house?"

"No, I'm Santa Claus," was the first thing that came out of Tyson's mouth.

Kai just snorted and turned off the engine. "And I'm the Grinch."

Tyson couldn't help the sharp bark of laughter that left his lips as he sat up. He cocked his head. "You said it, not me."

Kai didn't say anything, just got off his sweet ride and went to open the gate. The metallic clang of the key turning in the lock was the only sound on the serene street, and it echoed.

Kai lifted one hand to the bars and didn't move it, didn't look around. "Tyson, I don't want to talk to you."

"W-Well, good!" Tyson bit out. "'Cause neither do I!"

Kai shot him an annoyed look that spoke so many more words than Kai spoke in a month. Really, it wasn't hard to see that Kai didn't want to talk to _anyone, ever._

They glared at each other.

Tyson fiddled and then got up, since sitting on the cold cement with a branch in his hand was kind of lame.

Kai tilted his head then a slow ominous smile curved up one side of his lips. "I did want to _see_ you."

Kai's taller shadow fell overtop him like a blanket of snow as he walked right up into his face and lightly brushed the pads of his fingers over Tyson's cheekbone. The bruise there had faded away. His lip was still sore and a bit cracked, but the biking around in the cold weather hadn't helped much.

"Yeah?" Tyson asked, voice low and eyelids half lowered. "Did you want to touch me too?"

The sly smile dropped right off Kai's face turning him into a statue, cold and stock still, and his frozen fingertips melting onto Tyson's warm cheek.

Tyson could see himself reflected in Kai's eyes, they were so close. The younger teen thought he looked pretty hot. Irresistible. Or was that Kai?

A frosty cloud of breath escaped Tyson's lips and disappeared before it hit Kai's bangs. The taller teen's eyebrows clashed and the fingers on Tyson's cheek became a cold palm flattened against his nose.

"Mphff." Tyson complained into Kai's hand.

Kai squinted and mashed Tyson's face until he was backed up against the prickly hedge.

"What do you want?" Kai demanded, with a neat little evasion to the question Tyson had asked.

"Hfffhmhgg." Tyson said.

Kai lifted his hand away with caution. "Say that again."

Tyson huffed. "If you'd keep your _hands off me_ for one second, MAYBE you'd get an ans—"

Annnd the hands were back.

"Look." Kai said through gritting teeth, his fingers squeezing Tyson's shoulders through the thick red jacket. "You had your laughs. There's no reason to keep…" He trailed off and looked angry. "To _stalk_ me."

"I'm not stalking you!" Tyson's blue eyes widened at the outrageousness.

"And what do you call trying to sneak into my house?" Kai did not sound amused.

"I didn't think you were home."

The face Kai made was priceless.

"Kai," Tyson said simply, the way his voice curved around the syllables making it sound like he was teasing.

"What."

"Can I come over?"

* * *

"Don't touch anything." Kai growled as they left their wet shoes at the front door.

There'd never been any heating from what Tyson had seen of Kai's personal shack around the side, so it made sense he couldn't hang out in there during the past few weeks. The temperature had seemed to dip and hadn't had the chance to thaw.

Kai led them up the stairs and Tyson remembered being shoved down them that one time.

He smiled at the memory.

There really was something wrong with him.

Kai slammed open his bedroom door and flung his sweater aside which messed up his already crazy hair, then fell face forward into the bed mattress.

Tyson's eyebrows rose as he appraised Kai's tight tank that had been underneath. Then he caught himself staring with way too much interest and, oh man, Hilary was right about him. He was really…

Anyway.

Tyson threw down his backpack and immediately looked around the room for something else to admire and a grin almost split his face when he spied Kai's guitar propped up to the side.

He jogged over to the arm chair it was resting against and picked it up, strumming a few notes.

"I thought I said—" Came Kai's tired but angry voice from the bed.

"Shhhsh." Tyson placated with a few chords. "I brought you chocolate."

Silence erupted from somewhere near Kai's head.

"It's in my bag."

Tyson played a different tune while he willed himself not to watch Kai's pale arm stretch out to grab the bag and root around inside.

A few moments later he heard chewing. It was cute.

Kai picked another small chocolate from the gift box and popped it in his mouth without any sign of joy on his face. But he must have been enjoying them anyway, because he'd somehow gotten comfortable enough to inspect the contents of Tyson's bag.

Random wrappers and receipts, some pens, cell phone, gum… all were tossed on the floor carelessly. He pulled out Dragoon and stopped.

Tyson began a new melody.

"You're playing your father's song, y'know." Kai said ruefully from his reclined position.

It was a little weird to see the Hiwatari Mystery looking so relaxed, but then again, Tyson wasn't about to complain when Kai was relaxing in his company, saying cryptic things. It was normal and it almost made their situation seem like it was normal. He could get behind that.

The beyblader's shirt, which obviously had way too high a percentage of spandex content, had ridden up exposing his lower back and his tattoo. Tyson aimlessly strummed a chord, his blue eyes keenly trained on the colours etched into Kai's pale skin.

"If you ever become famous you'll end up just like your father and brother." Kai's voice was so weighed down with sarcasm it seemed a little like bravado.

"You mean I'll live alone and become completely boring?" Tyson laughed out the side of his grin. "Don't tell me you won't end up that way too!"

Kai didn't say anything else and picked up Dragoon to stare at.

It suddenly hit him that Kai was trying to decipher what Tyson thought of the future. But that wasn't right. Tyson only ever talked about how he wanted to be a star with his music talents and tried to get his friends in on the fun. Kai _knew_ what he wanted to do.

And he wasn't exactly _friends_ with Kai. They were something a little bit more complicated. Just a little.

And that meant what Kai was really asking about _relationships._

Tyson blinked rapidly, wondering if he was going crazy. Seeing Kai stare at his beyblade should have been funny, and maybe cute. _Definitely_ not an alarm that 'Kai Hiwatari wants to know if we have a future' signal.

But it was.

Tyson flopped back into the armchair and hummed the melody of the song they'd been practicing. He laughed a little to himself and shook his hair out of his eyes.

"It's the same tune you're playing too."

Because he knew; Kai's father had given him his guitar and his mother had given him his beyblade; they were the same but opposite. Kai was the reflection of what Tyson could have been, and he was the reflection of what Kai wanted to be.

_Or be with._

"So…" Tyson bit the side of his lower lip for the briefest moment before Kai's red eyes flickered over to glare at him.

"Does this mean I'm un-dumped?"

Kai's glared intensified, if that were possible. Tyson felt his heart flutter in excitement and knew it was a telltale sign he was definitely, certifiably insane.

"Who dumped you?" Kai grunted and shoved Dragoon into his pocket.

"Ohhh, I get it." Tyson rolled off the squashy chair and smirked, though in the back of his head realized that Hilary's impression of him was _really _good.

Tyson set aside the guitar and crawled over to the foot of the bed near Kai's feet hanging off it. "I was never dumped in the first place, huh?"

Kai didn't even bother to continue looking at him. Instead he stared up at the ceiling. "Don't you have to be dating someone in order to be dumped?"

Tyson cocked his head and dug his elbows onto the cushy mattress. "I figured that was the way it happened. Sooo… I guess it's a pretty good thing I'm not dating anyone since I'd hate being dumped."

Kai raised one large eyebrow at the stuccoed ceiling. That ceiling was obviously a funny guy.

For a long time neither of the teens said anything. Tyson rested his chin on his crossed arms, a calm smile stretched across his lips as he watched Kai's eyebrows tick up and down.

Kai opened his mouth…and then closed it again.

Tyson rolled his eyes as he sighed and climbed up onto the bed to lie next to Kai. The older teen tensed up so much it was _visible_, his pale fists clenched atop his stomach.

Kai was a mystery, he really was, because Tyson could look at that straight nose and stubborn frown and tightly wound muscles and baggy pants and face paint and freaking _two toned hair_ and still not figure out _**why he wanted to be dating Kai Hiwatari.**_

Tyson rolled onto his side to find himself looking into Kai's ear.

"Is that an _earring_?" He whispered, in one long drawn out breath of laughter, "You are soooo gaa—"

And then Kai rolled over on top of him and kissed him.

The taunt died on Tyson's lips because Kai crushed them with his own.

His mind zoomed back to that day when they'd been reversed. Kai pressed down harder, his chin hitting Tyson's as he opened his mouth and Tyson groaned because, he tasted chocolate. It was _so good._

Kai's hands clawed at the soft sides of Tyson's ribs, and for once not being clamped down, the captured teen tunneled his fingers through that dark hair.

The breath caught in Kai's throat when Tyson tugged, so he tugged harder and then licked at Kai's lip. He could feel himself get more excited than he'd ever felt before. His heart beating so fast, because of the anger that Kai had shut him up, because of the way Kai's arms locked around his waist.

Because of the mystery, the inevitability, the fact that it was _Kai._

Kai pulled back just enough to look him clearly in the eye, their breathe ghosting across each other's mouths. "Don't. Say. A. Word."

Tyson thrust up and hooked a leg around the other teen, holding him in place. "Shut up." He replied and yanked him back down.

Kai answered by raking his blunt fingernails down Tyson's sides. Through the material of his sweater it felt like tingling trails, like the sensation of heat returning to an ice cold numb limb. Nerves on fire, he could feel every single suddenly itchy fiber of his sweater. He felt strangled and twitched from side to side until Kai decided to unzip the stifling thing. The dual haired teen pushed Tyson's t-shirt up to his armpits for good measure.

"Why'd you come back here?" Kai whispered harshly against his neck, teeth grazing.

Tyson shuddered, feeling a hand that definitely _was not his own_ flatten over the front of his tight jeans. "I guess— the same re-Aa-reason—_You_ let me in."

The button to his pants was silently popped open, the zipper to his fly pulled down. He breathed deeply trying to will Kai to go lower still and put him out of his misery.

"And what reason was that?" Kai whispered again, suddenly having so much to say.

Tyson turned his head, their noses touched, and said, "Because _I_ _missed you._"

That had been the right answer, he was sure, because he barely had time to grin cockily before Kai kissed him. This time they sank back down into the mattress not caring about coming back up for air. The beyblader's hand found its way back to Tyson's lap and gently rubbed over the front of his fly. Up and down, up over his bare stomach and down to the inside of his thigh.

Tyson snuck his hands underneath the tightness of Kai's shirt, gliding over the smooth skin. Strangely enough, it was easier than anything he'd ever done in his entire life to get Kai's shirt off.

Kai said something low under his breath, out of breath, and Tyson answered him.

Outside the bay window, the night sky was an inky midnight blue. Points of light glinting like glitter flung across a velvet sheet. Soon they'd all be turning into stars.

* * *

**End Track**

**Author's Notes: **The next one's the last one.

**Disclaimer: **Beyblade and all its likeness does not belong to me.


End file.
